


Lelouch the Exiled Kitty Prince

by lilvamp23



Series: My Little World of Kitty People [1]
Category: Code Geass
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Geass (Code Geass), Cat Ears, Cat/Human Hybrids, Crack and Angst, Crushes, Everyone Wants A Piece of Lelouch, F/M, Fake Character Death, Fighting, First Time, Hiding in Closets, Ice Cream, Lelouch is an Evil Genius, M/M, Making Up, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Multi, Multiple Partners, Purring, Should of used a condom..., Slow Burn, Smut, Who sometimes gets fiesty, water phobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-14
Packaged: 2019-08-22 11:07:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 75,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16596704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilvamp23/pseuds/lilvamp23
Summary: Lelouch is part of a mostly extinct race of cat people. He has to try to control his inner kitty cat as he maneuvers through life. High school, plotting revenge against his family, typical things for a 17 going on 18 year old. Relationships...are just difficult to say the least. (Harem-ish, but mostly Suzaku/Lelouch)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this was like one of the first fanfics I ever wrote, but I still kind of like it. I decided it to post it even if it's a little cringy. I still like it. Plus it ties into my made up universe of cat peoples that I plan on continuing with. Mostly because I love cats. They are the best and writing these little cat people stories entertains me. I apologize if it's not very good, but thanks for giving it a shot. Hope you enjoy it. 
> 
> I'm going to try and read through it as I go and update anything that is really cringy, so it's not going up all at once.

Lelouch inherited quite a bit from his mother. Her pale skin, violet eyes, black hair and slim figure to name a few. Unfortunately he also inherited some animalistic qualities such as his fluffy black ears and tail with the occasional fangs and claws if he was feeling particularly feisty. Lelouch was part of a race of cat people. There wasn’t very many of them left in the world. Well not that he knew of anyways. There was CC, but she really didn’t count as she was a witch too. It didn’t appear that Nunnally inherited this particular quality from their mother. Not that he could tell anyways as Nunnally was the pinnacle of serene patience and the kitty traits only seemed to surface when emotions were at their highest. Like when he was under severe distress, anger or…you know when he was feeling a little frisky…which _didn’t_ happen that often. He was above such crass urges.

Suffice to say his life was a little difficult and he tried really hard to not get too worked up over things. He had learned this lesson at a young age when his mother was killed. He was only 10 at the time, so he wasn’t entirely sure of the whole story. Some parts are foggy. All he remembers is that his mother, he and Nunnally were alone when the assassination took place. His mother was killed and the children barely escaped with their lives. Nunnally was crippled and became blind. Lelouch escaped harm completely (well physical harm) and when he confronted his father, he was so worked up that his cat traits came out in full force. His father and the present members of the Britannian royal family had looked so thoroughly disgusted. His father called him a monster, disowned the siblings and exiled them to Japan probably hoping that they would perish at some point especially during the invasion, but Lelouch was a crafty little cat and managed to keep them out of harm’s way.

Now crafty he might be like a cat, but that’s where the cat traits seemed to end. He lacked the natural athleticism of his feline friends. Which was completely unfair, I mean come on, shouldn’t he be able to run and all that stuff? If he really was a cat, he would starve to death never being able to catch prey. At least he was smart and could plan traps and all that, but it didn’t help him in gym class. He took a huge breath trying to fill in his burning lungs as he ran around the track with his classmates. Lelouch really hated gym class. Like a lot.

“Lulu you’re doing great! Just keep it up a little bit longer” Shirley jogged up next to him.

Lelouch really felt like scowling at the cheerful girl. He was only on his second lap. Shirley was on her third. He still had TWO more to go! Life was so unfair sometimes. He was so winded and out of air that he couldn’t even voice a response to the orange haired girl that was way too athletic, so he waved in response…and there she went again. Lelouch watched her retreating back. Wait. Was he seeing black dots in his vision? Maybe if he passed out he wouldn’t have to run anymore. That would be great.

He wasn’t sure how he managed, but he ended up surviving gym class. Thank god. Well maybe not. He really wished that he could just not have gym class. It really sucked. Like a lot. He was sweaty and stinky. _Ick_. Well his aversion from feeling gross and dirty might be another feline trait. Cat’s liked to feel clean. Lelouch liked to feel clean. He did not feel clean now which meant he would have to shower. Lelouch _hated_ showering or bathing or swimming. Water was evil. It was wet and evil. Water was the bane of Lelouch’s existence and he needed to _shower_. _Ugh_. Gym really sucked.

Well at least he had a writing/language class next. A class that Lelouch excelled in. Words. Lelouch loved words both written and spoken. He was good at it. His crafty genius could be fully used with words. He sauntered into the class and sat down in his usual seat right next to one of his only sort of friends, Kallen. The reddish pinkish haired girl turned to look at him closely with tired calculating eyes.

“I see you survived gym today. You don’t look to dead on your feet…yet” Kallen stated casually with a little smirk.

“Thankfully. How do you manage to get out of it all the time?” Lelouch questioned as he pulled out his notepad and pen.

“My health, dear Lelouch, is frail and it has been decided that I shouldn’t over exert myself.”

“Well isn’t that convenient. Perhaps I can convince Headmaster Ashford that I have failing health as well…”

Kallen’s blue eyes sparkled mischievously looking at her extremely pretty classmate. “Well I’m sure with your silky smooth tongue, you might be able to convince him.” She really did think that Lelouch probably had a silky smooth tongue. Not that she had ever felt it…Not that she wanted to feel it… No. It was Lelouch for crying out loud. Her thoughts continued to drift in inappropriate directions of Lelouch’s tongue and her cheeks tinted pink getting dangerously close to her natural hair color. She was saved from any further musing when the teacher walked in and announced class starting.

The class quieted down as the teacher explained the pen pal program that Ashford Academy was going to participate in with another school called Cross Academy. Good interschool relationships…etc…some bullshit like that. Lelouch yawned slightly still tired from gym. He felt like he needed a nap. That was another cat thing. Lelouch loved naps. Not as much as a real cat, but an occasional nap was great. His attention snapped back to the teacher as they handed out letters from various Cross Academy students.

He opened the letter and looked at the picture of the boy he was assigned to. His lips pursed in consideration. The boy was exceptionally pale with lavender eyes (he could relate to the eyes even if they were lighter colored than his. It wasn’t a color you see very often) and silver/whitish hair. He was particularly broody looking as well as rather attractive. He read the name – Zero Kiryu. _Zero_. Hmm… weird name. He read over the letter. Apparently he didn’t just look broody he was actually quite broody and appeared to not really want to do this based on what he had written. Lelouch shrugged. He didn’t really care. He just wanted a good grade and if he had to converse via the written format with this broody attractive man oh well. No sweat of his back…literally this wasn’t gym class after all.

The rest of the day passed relatively easy for Lelouch. He excelled in most classes. His school day ended like every other day and he ended up sitting comfortably in one of the chairs in the club room for the student council listening to Milly excitedly explain an upcoming event. The woman loved planning events…and they were almost always painful…and fun… but mostly painful either physically or emotionally. It was his job as Vice President to make sure she didn’t get too carried away, but really trying to talk Milly out of something could be exhausting even with all his verbal charm. Like right now as her blonde haired swayed and her blue eyes sparkled with delight and her full figured body pressed against him as she wrapped her arms around his thin frame. He thought he was good at manipulating people, but he was always weak to her demands if she was touching him. He did have a libido after all…and Milly was…well she was really pretty and sometimes it was hard (not that pervert) when she pressed up against him. He ended up folding for the most part, but at least he talked her out of the more eccentric ideas.

Lelouch was on his way home when Milly caught up to him. “Hey Lulu do you think you and Nunnally could do me a favor?”

“It depends what that favor is” Lelouch responded carefully. Asking him to do favors was one thing, but if she was asking to involve Nunnally he needed to be careful. Not that he didn’t trust Milly. He knew she was a very caring person underneath all the boisterous…bouncy-ness.

“My father has set up another dinner with a potential suitor and I was hoping that you and Nunnally might join us for dinner tonight. You know to help alieve some of the awkwardness. It would be nice to have some friendly faces around.”

Lelouch couldn’t see a reason to reject the request. He always felt bad that Milly was being forced into situations dealing with suitors. He personally thought her father should back off and let Milly pick whoever she wanted, but that wasn’t really the way the world worked. Especially for people of the upper crust. They had this weird obsession of keeping the higher Britannian class within the higher Britannian class. It was frowned upon to branch outside of one’s ranking. To sum it up, it was complete bullshit. He readily agreed to her request and she hugged him tightly thanking him for being such an exceptional friend. Milly really did give some of the best hugs…Nope. He wasn’t going to go there. He suppressed his inner beast and retracted his slowly growing claws.

Nunnally was excited about going to dinner at the Ashford’s and Lelouch smiled fondly at his tiny adorable frail sister with her wavy light brown hair and kind smile. They got dressed in appropriate attire and made their way to the Ashford house. Their own house wasn’t too far away as it was one of the guest houses on the Ashford Estate. After the invasion and the fall of the Kururugi Estate, Lelouch had managed to elicit the assistance of the Ashfords and they accepted guardianship of the two young displaced Britannian siblings. Lelouch would forever be indebted to the Ashford’s kindness.

They were greeted by a servant of the household and led into the sitting room to wait for dinner to be served. Lelouch surveyed the room. Something he did every time he entered a new room to look for possible threats and exits in case escape was needed. He took in the sight of the Ashfords (not too hard to identify by their tall statures and blonde hair), a woman with dark purple hair and kind grey eyes, an eccentric pale man with extremely light purple hair and sky blue eyes…and…and…Suzaku Kururugi. Lelouch’s heart stuttered to a stop looking at the young male. Lelouch knew instantly who it was even if he hadn’t seen Suzaku since they were 12 years old. He still had the same floppy brown hair, tan skin, bright green eyes. The only difference was that he was taller, more muscular, his jaw was more defined and his face was lacking the baby fat it once had. To put it lightly Suzaku looked amazing and was smiling happily at him. Lelouch felt his claws and fangs extend a fraction as he tried to suppress his overwhelming happiness. _It was Suzaku!_

“Greetings Lelouch and Nunnally. We are happy that you could join us this evening” Headmaster Ashford greeted them. “Let me introduce everyone. This is Lloyd Asplund one of the Earls of Britannia and one of their main scientists, his assistant Cecile Croomy and his ward Suzaku Kururugi. These are our wards Lelouch and Nunnally Lamperouge.”

“Is it really you, Suzaku?” Nunnally asked with a small excited smile.

Suzaku walked over and knelt in front of her wheel chair taking her tiny delicate hands in his. Lelouch couldn’t help to notice how much larger and more masculine his hands looked now. “Yeah it’s really me Nunnally. You’ve really grown up these last five years haven’t you?” Nunnally reached out with her hands and traced her fingers over his face as if she was testing it to make sure it was really him.

Lelouch with all his pretty words was a little tongue tied at the moment just watching this Suzaku. Which was very different from a 12 year old Suzaku, but at the same time was exactly the same. His gentle smile, the little dimples, the soft twinkle in his emerald green eyes. Eyes that were now directed at him. Suzaku stood in front of him. Was Suzaku the same height as him now? Lelouch didn’t think so. He still seemed slightly shorter, but he was definitely more muscular.

“Lelouch. Good to see you again” Suzaku said fondly and grasped his bicep firmly in greeting.

Lelouch opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by Lloyd. “Oh, so you are already acquainted with my valued guinea pig. How delightful.” Lloyd beamed at them.

Lelouch had to hide a look of disdain quickly at the creepy way the light purple haired man was smiling…and did he just call Suzaku a guinea pig? Suzaku gave him an apologetic smile and released his arm.

“I apologize for Lloyd’s unfortunate words. Suzaku helps with our research and Lloyd sometimes gets a little creative with his word choice” Cecile stepped in smoothly with a small apologetic smile of her own.

“Pish posh. Semantics my dear Cecile. Words are words. I’m just excited to finally meet some of our dear Suzaku’s friends” Lloyd carried on cheerfully.

Suffice to say dinner was quite the affair. Lelouch was pretty sure that Lloyd was a sociopath. A highly functioning and intelligent sociopath. He shared a sympathetic look with Milly. She was handling this commendably. All polite smiles and carefully chosen replies. Cecile tried to reign in some of Lloyd’s more outlandish comments. Headmaster Ashford and his wife continued to be polite hosts and mediators. Suzaku…well Suzaku was Suzaku. Lelouch wasn’t sure how else to describe it. Bright smiles. Honest. Polite. The ideal dinner guest. Even if he was just an honorary Britannian. Not that the Ashford’s minded in the least. They were fairly progressive for an elite Britannian family.

“Your school seems quite admirable. It’s a shame that Suzaku hasn’t been able to attend such a fine establishment. Sometimes I fear that his home schooling is lacking some fundamentals” Cecile said thoughtfully as they ate their desert. Some fruity salady type thing. Meh. Lelouch didn’t quite care for it.

“Well he’s more than welcome to attend if you were interested in enrolling him here” Headmaster Ashford responded warmly.

“My dear Cecile, Suzaku doesn’t have to time to trifle in such mediocre things like socializing with people his own age. I am grooming him for greatness” Lloyd objected enthusiastically with a creepy smile. Did Lelouch forget to mention he thinks Lloyd is a sociopath because yeah he thinks that.

“Oh, but I think it would just be wonderful if Suzaku went to school with us. It would nice to be able to talk to him every day and catch up” Nunnally said softly. Her voice full of warmth. Lelouch smiled gently at his sister. She was the absolute best.

“Unfortunately Mr. Asplund I would have to agree with the others. Well it is essential to focus on one area of interest at some point, I believe at our age we should be broadening our horizon, so that we are able to fully appreciate all the intricacies of life and how to maneuver efficiently through it” Lelouch responded casually. A little hopeful that maybe they could persuade the sociopath to let Suzaku attend Ashford Academy. It would make Lelouch quite pleased. Ok. A lot pleased to be able to see the one person he considered his best friend.

“Well said Lelouch” Milly piped in happily and winked at Lelouch.

“Ah, but you see my dear boy, Suzaku is quite great at maneuvering things like a knightmare frame. That is why he is very much required for my work.”

“Suzaku would still be able to assist you Lloyd, but I do think he would quite enjoy going to an actual school for once” Cecile continued in her pleasant convincing voice.

“Umm…if I could interject for a moment, I would be honored to attend Ashford Academy” Suzaku spoke up. “Of course if it is agreeable to Lloyd.”

“Well I can see when I have been out voted. I fold, however, Suzaku I expect you to work twice as much when you are assisting me” Lloyd said with a warning tone and another creepy smile. Lelouch shuddered internally.

“Of course” Suzaku said with a smile directed at Lelouch. It was breathtaking. Not literally because Lelouch was still in fact breathing.

“Well it’s settled then. I will grab the paperwork for you on your way out tonight. The guest house you will be staying at is fully staffed, so if you need anything, feel free to ask.”

“Suzaku if you are staying the night, why don’t you come stay with us? We can have a guest room made up for you” Nunnally volunteered hopefully. She hadn’t been able to talk to him in five years and was very much excited to hear about what he has been up to.

Suzaku looked at Lelouch first before replying. “If it is not a problem for you, then I would gladly accept.”

“Of course it is no trouble at all. We look forward to hosting you” Lelouch replied smoothly with a warm smile.

“Well that settles matters than for the night. It is getting late and I do believe that we should all retire for the evening. While you are filling out the enrollment papers, I will try to locate a dorm for young Kururugi to stay in” Headmaster Ashford stood. Everyone joined him.

“If it would be easier, Suzaku could come stay with us. We do have extra room in our home after all” Lelouch volunteered casually. The headmaster looked at Suzaku for his input.

“That is very kind of you Lelouch and I would be very happy to accept” Suzaku gave him a winning smile. “If that is acceptable to the headmaster of course?”

“Of course. I see no issue with it.”

Everyone said their departing words. Milly gave Lelouch one more quick wink and the three reacquainted friends left. Lelouch was more than happy to let Nunnally do most of the talking on the way back to their home. He loved her voice to begin with and now he also got to listen to Suzaku’s voice. It was mesmerizing. He loved it.

They talked late into the night, but when Nunnally continued to yawn more frequently, Lelouch forced her to go to bed. Suzaku promised that they would talk more in the morning before he left. He also reminded her in a fond amused voice that he would be spending a lot more time with her coming up. That seemed to appease her worry about letting him out of eyeshot (well not really eyeshot since she couldn’t see…more like earshot? That doesn’t sound quite right though…). She went to bed with a pleased smile on her delicate face leaving Lelouch and Suzaku to their own amusements.

“It’s been a while Lelouch” Suzaku said softly as he looked over Lelouch’s face. He took in the sharp angles, thin lips and sharp violet eyes. He wouldn’t voice it, but he thought Lelouch was beautiful…was it ok to think another man was beautiful? Ah well, it was his inner monologue anyways, so it really didn’t matter.

“Yeah it has been. I’m sorry to hear about your father. I’m also sorry to hear that you got stuck with Lloyd. I’ve come to the conclusion he’s a sociopath.”

Suzaku burst out laughing. Not that carefully structured laugh that he had used throughout the night. No. This was a full blown authentic Suzaku laugh. Lelouch smiled in response. Older Suzaku’s laugh was enchanting.

“Yeah. He’s most definitely a sociopath, but a genius one at that” Suzaku responded when his laugh had receded enough for words. Little laugh tears trailed out of his eyes and he wiped them away. “God have I missed you’re sharp tongue over the years…”

Lelouch felt his cheeks warm a little. Which was very uncharacteristic of him. Lelouch Lamperouge did _not_ blush.

“You know what else I missed…?” Suzaku continued with teasing hint to his voice. The tone causing a weird wave of excitement to pass through Lelouch. “You’re adorable fluffy ears.”

Ok. So now Lelouch was blushing. Of course Suzaku knew about his ears…and tail… It was hard for him as a child to not let his emotions sometimes get the better of him. Suzaku unfortunately had found him one time in full blown kitty mode. Lelouch had been horrified. Suzaku had been thoroughly awestruck. His ten year old mind thinking it was the coolest shit he had ever seen.

“So come on Lelouch, are you going to let me see you in cat mode or what?”

“Suzaku it is quite rude to ask a question like that” Lelouch clicked his tongue in disapproval.

“Ah come on man! I want to see what a mature Lelouch with cat ears looks like” Suzaku pressed on. His grin so dazzling that Lelouch lost his train of thought. Why shouldn’t he let his ears out? It wasn’t like he was able to do it around anybody else…and it was Suzaku after all. He still trusted him with his life.

“Fine, but the moment you start referring to them as cute, I will be out of here in an instant” Lelouch warned.

“I would never refer to your ears as cute” Suzaku said in a serious tone. “Maybe adorable…”

Lelouch scowled at him and Suzaku burst into another fit of laughter. Not that Lelouch didn’t like Suzaku’s laugh, but he was not going to be teased in such a manner. He had pride dammit. He stood gracefully to his feet and started to leave. Suzaku grabbed his hand quickly and Lelouch had to stop the look of surprise that threatened to over compass his scowl…Suzaku was… _strong_. Wow.

“Kidding. Just kidding. I won’t tease you anymore” Suzaku said genuinely. The smile on his face disarming Lelouch’s ire.

“Fine, but I won’t warn you again…” Lelouch warned one last time. He then took a deep breath and let his carefully built wall down just a smidgen. His human ears receded and his cat ears popped out at the top of his head. He tried really hard not to feel self-conscious about the whole ordeal.

“So fucking cool” Suzaku said in awe. “Can I touch them?”

Lelouch’s thoughts stammered in his brain. _Touch?_ No one had touched his ears outside of Nunnally in years. Suzaku was probably the last non related person to do so, but that was over 5 years ago. Did he want his ears touched? Not really…but if it was Suzaku… “Uh…fine…I guess.”

“Sweeeet” Suzaku said happily and slowly reached his hand up.

Lelouch’s eyes followed the manly hand a little apprehensively. He shivered involuntarily as Suzaku rubbed his ear gently between his fingers. It felt… _weird_ …and he kind of…liked it. Or maybe it was just because it was Suzaku…and he had missed him. Like a lot. Life had been hard after losing the contact. Lelouch didn’t make friends easily. After how his life had gone, he was more guarded than most people.

“Soft…” Suzaku trailed off softly still rubbing the delicate ear between his fingers. He moved them around experimentally. They were sitting next to each other on the couch and Lelouch leaned into the touch instinctively. He ended up trailing his fingers through Lelouch’s hair. “Your hairs soft too…”

A weird noise escaped through Lelouch’s mouth and he froze. Suzaku’s hand also froze mid stroke.

“Did you just purr?” Suzaku asked in a highly amused voice.

“N-no!” Lelouch stammered out quickly as his face lit up like a Christmas tree.

Suzaku chuckled softly. “I’m pretty sure you just purred…”

“I did not! I’m going to bed” Lelouch stood up quickly and moving towards the exit, but paused for a moment. “Umm…I’ll show you to your room…”

“Sure” Suzaku responded the tone of his voice clearly showing that he was still quite thoroughly amused. Lelouch had _purred_. I mean come on that’s adorable!

“For the record if you mention this to anybody, I will kill you” Lelouch said in a petulant voice.

“My lips are sealed” Suzaku responded. His hand reaching up to run his fingers through the silky black strands one more time. Lelouch let out an unbecoming squeak and swatted his hand away.

“Stop that!” Lelouch said sternly. His ears were tilted back showing his annoyance.

“But you apparently like it…” Suzaku said amused and gave him another award winning smile. Dimples included.

“Hmph.” Was Lelouch’s only reply as they walked down the dark hallway. He was not about to admit that he likes it…which he does, but he has pride dammit! “This is your room. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Suzaku watched Lelouch’s retreating back as he stormed gracefully away. The back view of Lelouch was just as attractive as the front. He smiled amusedly at the fact that Lelouch’s ears were still sticking out at the top of his head and were still tilted with annoyance. Lelouch was just as adorable as he remembered him. He smiled fondly and entered the guest room.

Lelouch slowly put back up his mental wall as he changed for bed. His cat ears disappeared and were replaced with his human ears. He still didn’t fully understand how it was physically possible to have two separate sets of ears that magically seemed to disappear whenever the other set came out. Like really? It was freaking creepy.

His face was still warm as he climbed into bed. It was utterly embarrassing what had happened tonight. Lelouch had never _purred_ before. He didn’t even know it was possible. What makes it worse is the fact that he hadn’t seen Suzaku in 5 years and he wanted to make a good impression. Show how much he had matured…and he fucking _purred_. Ugh. How undignified could he get? His lips formed into a pouty little scowl as he tried to think of something else… _anything else_ except for the fact that he had purred in front of Suzaku. He eventually fell asleep sometime around 3am when his brain had finally tired itself out from over thinking.


	2. Chapter 2

Lelouch yawned and stretched arching his back before shutting off his alarm. The morning sunlight poured in through his window. The slight dust (unfortunately yes dust still existed in the OCD clean room) in the air shimmered. He settled back on the bed and basked in its warmth. Lelouch wasn’t a fan of mornings, but he was a fan of the sun…and laying in it…maybe taking a nap under its friendly beams. He was just about to drift off again when he shot up quickly. Suzaku was still here. Which meant today was not a lazing around day.

He quickly scampered out of bed and grabbed a fresh set of clothes before entering the bathroom adjoined to his room. He paused momentarily to glare at the shower. Did he really have to shower? He showered yesterday, so that should be good enough right? He tentatively lifted his arm and took a little sniff of his armpit. His lips pursed thoughtfully as his head tilted to the side. It wasn’t…horrible. There was a little bit of a BO smell, but mostly smelled of his EXTREME BLAST deodorant. Which smelled…well it didn’t smell bad…it smelled extreme-ly nice.

He was still pondering over his dilemma when he remembered last night and his _purring_. What would Suzaku think if he came out this morning _smelling_? He would lose what, if any, respect he had for him. Lelouch made a tch noise before cranking the water on Hot. He waited a whole like minute before stripping off his pajamas and hopping in. IT. WAS. TOO. HOT! Ow. Fuck. Dammit. He quickly adjusted the temp to sit somewhere between the Hot and Cold labels. As the water started to cool off, he popped the cap off of his Head and Shoulders shampoo (no one liked dandruff. Lelouch was determined to never have a single flake in his beautiful silky hair). He was scrubbing rapidly when the water finally got too cold. Ugh. He cracked open an eye just a tiny bit to readjust the temp…and now he had shampoo in his eye…Shit. Ow. Fuck. He rinsed the shampoo out of his hair quickly and then proceeded to rinse out his eye.

With one stinging eye he proceeded to the next step of conditioner (of course he used conditioner. How else was he supposed to maintain his silky strands?). As the conditioner worked on conditioning his hair, he proceeded to use his body wash. His pale long fingers worked the soapy suds all along his slim body. He barely had any muscle what so ever. Did he mention he was bad at gym? I mean there was a little bit. Basic male genetics or some crap like that.

As he was trailing his hands over his body, he couldn’t help wonder what Suzaku’s body looked like without a shirt on. He looked muscular under his clothes, but how muscular really? He was still slim, not much larger than Lelouch, so they couldn’t be bulging muscles. Did he have a six pack? Hmm…wait? Why was he still in the shower? This is was probably one of the longest showers he had ever taken and when did his tail decide to show up? He hesitantly reached to touch his head…not only was his tail swishing happily in the water, apparently his ears were out in full force… and those weren’t the only things that had grown on him. Well this was different... How did normal people handle this particular issue again? Oh right with their hand. He chuckled softly to himself as he hesitantly wrapped his hand around hard length. A little hiss of air escaped him as his hand started to take care of the little…ah no wait… the _big_ issue he was having.

It felt amazing and he let out a series of pleasant noises. Lelouch made quick work of himself and quickly finished rinsing off the rest of his body. He hummed happily to himself as he stepped out of the shower. On a scale of 0-10 of how much he liked showering, this was probably a 2. Not too bad in the grand scheme of things and Lelouch was a fan of the whole scheming thing.

He slowly built back up his mental walls and when his ears had disappeared once again, he ruffled the towel through his hair. He finished drying off the rest his body and threw on his basic white button up shirt and a pair of black slacks. He was interrupted in the process of buttoning his shirt by a knock on his bedroom door. He paused about half way up and opened his door.

Suzaku took in the sight before him. A freshly showered Lelouch. His cheeks were a little pink from the heat of the water he assumed and a couple of water droplets were still dripping from his damp hair. His eyes trailed one such droplet as it rolled down his neck and down the front of his opened shirt.

“I’m happy to see that you are still in the habit of showering” Suzaku said fondly with a smile.

“Yes. Unfortunately…although today’s shower wasn’t the worst…” Lelouch responded thoughtfully and his tinted cheeks took on a more rosy color. He quickly averted his eyes.

“Oh really? I never thought I would hear those words come out of your mouth. What made today’s shower so special for you to sing praises about it?”

“Wha? N-nothing. It was just fine ok” Lelouch said quickly. His eyes traveled over Suzaku’s chest and arms as the thoughts from the shower came back to him. He was wearing a short sleeved button up, so at least Lelouch could trail his eyes over thin muscled arms. Just out of curiosity. There was no other reason… However, he did wonder what they would feel like… oh right talking to Suzaku right now. Focus.

“If you say so” Suzaku chuckled lightly. “Let’s finish getting you ready, so that we can go eat breakfast. I’m not going to be here that much longer today and really don’t want to waste it.” He reached out confidently and started to complete the last couple of buttons on Lelouch’s shirt.

Lelouch just stared at him slightly flabbergasted. Suzaku was… _dressing_ him. _What!?_ On a side note, it was pretty awesome. He shrugged to himself. Oh well he could deal with this. As long as he didn’t purr again because that would make this weird…which it currently _wasn’t_.

“Alright! All done. Let’s go” Suzaku said happily and grasped his biceps…or lack there of. No. Lelouch had biceps. Even if they weren’t all muscularly or whatever. He pulled him slightly forward and Lelouch lost his balance for a split second, but no worries, Suzaku was there to catch him.

Once Lelouch had composed himself they headed to the dining room. Nunnally was already there being assisted by Sayoko. They greeted each other affectionately and Suzaku planted a tiny kiss on Nunnally’s cheek causing her to blush adorably. Lelouch almost squealed with how cute his sister was. It would have been a dignified manly squeal though as Lelouch was a dignified man. Sazaku was amused watching Lelouch grab a cup of coffee and then proceeding to pour in a copious amount of creamer…coffee was still supposed to be somewhat of a brown tint at least right?

“When do you think you will be back?” Nunnally asked between a bite of her blueberry muffin.

“I’m not sure. I guess it depends on the paperwork and when Lloyd let’s me.”

“Do you have a cell phone?” Lelouch asked and once Suzaku nodded, he continued. “We should exchange phone numbers. That way you can keep us informed and we will have a room ready for you to move into.”

“That would be awesome! I’d love to have your number even if I wasn’t going to be coming here” Suzaku beamed happily and smiled.

Ok, so Lelouch really loved Suzaku’s smiles. They did something to him. Made his heart go pitter patter and all that nonsense. They were like Nunnally’s smiles, but not exactly the same. They were different, but just as special. They left him feeling all warm and fuzzy. They felt like _home_ and he couldn’t help but return them with a smile of his own.

Lelouch and Nunnally watched (ok. Not Nunnally per say in the literal term) Suzaku leave before heading to school. His heart was still a little fuzzy feeling as he walked into his first morning class. Rivalz happily bounded up to him. His dark blue hair bouncing and his brown eyes twinkling. Grin bigger than what seemed physically possible.

“Hey Lelouch, how do you feel about skipping gym class today?” Rivalz whispered with a secretive little smile.

Was that even a real question? “I would love to Rivalz. Do you have something in mind?”

“Well I just so happened to get my hands on a little tid bit of information that there was a little chess competition downtown today?” Rivalz eyes sparkled mischievously.

“Well then I guess it’s only polite to share my knowledge with them” Lelouch smiled back wickedly. It was somewhat of the norm that Lelouch and Rivalz would sneak off occasionally to participate in a little chess gambling. They split the profits 80/20. Lelouch of course got the 80 percent for the one actually playing. He used the extra funds to invest in his special projects that were locked up tight in the basement of his house unbeknownst to the outside world. Have we mentioned yet that Lelouch was a genius flirting dangerously with the evil genius line? Rivalz got the 20 percent for ferreting out the games. Lelouch didn’t know what he used the funds on and honestly the fucks he gave were few and far between.

Lelouch won all the games quite easily and was walking away with quite a large sum of money. He laughed darkly to himself at how these foolish Britannian upper class members thought they were the cat’s meow. Which they weren’t. If anyone could claim to be the cat’s meow, that would have to be Lelouch. Not that he had ever meowed before. He drew the line at _purring_ and that had only happened once.

Everything was progressing smoothly. The funds were delivered to them via black briefcases and they were making their way back to back to school in Rivalz’s motor bike. Gym class was long gone by this point, so Lelouch was in a fairly decent mood. It turned sour though when they hit a road block and a mob of people. Lelouch told Rivalz to wait for him and he went to investigate. He easily maneuvered through the crowd. He didn’t see anything particularly interesting, but there was some smoke coming from an alley way. Apparently Lelouch has never heard the saying that curiosity killed the cat and continued on his way towards the smoke.

What he stumbled on was a skirmish between a red knightmare and an obviously Britannian knightmare. Lelouch was _not_ intimidated or scared which is why he did _not_ squeak in fear and hide in a nearby truck as debris started flying his way. The truck interior was dim and Lelouch made out a round chamber thing in the center bolted down. He didn’t have a lot of time to process it as the truck squealed off. He gripped onto one of the rods attached to the round chamber to keep his balance. The driver was talking/shouting (whatever) all panicky to who he assumed was the red knightmare about holding the enemy back. He could hear some of the words over the tire squealing and other violent noises. Something. Something. Kallen… well that caught his attention for a moment before he was slammed against the wall due to a nasty sharp turn.

The truck finally came to a halt and Lelouch took a peek around the round chamber to see if he could see the driver. There was a flash of reddish pinkish hair before it vanished from sight. Lelouch took a moment to ponder his dilemma. Did he exit the truck now? Were they still fighting? Did that driver say Kallen? That hair color seemed awfully familiar. What does this green button do? Oh it opens the chamber. That’s convenient.

Lelouch’s eyes flew open on the figure lying inside of the chamber. Green hair. Fluffy green ears. Thin green tail. Pale almost translucent skin. White straight jacket like get up. Well if he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do before. He knew now. He had to get CC away from all this chaos. He attempted to scoop her up into his arms, but as mentioned previously, Lelouch wasn’t the brawniest of men. His lips pursed in contemplation…

This was not working. Maybe he could wake her up. He shook her a couple of times and whispered into her ear trying not to alert the driver who was still talking rapidly to whoever his cohort was. Nothing. Nada. Nope. Hmm… Well drastic situations call for drastic measures. He lifted his hand and slapped her. Her eyes fluttered open and stared at him unfocused, but at least she seemed to be somewhat conscious now. He undid the mouth cover and undid the arm restraints as she slowly started to regain some semblance of thought.

“CC I need you to assist me with your escape. I’m getting you out of here” Lelouch said to her softly. She nodded her understanding and looped an arm over his shoulders as he wrapped his arm around her slim waist. He pushed the back door of truck open and took a quick peek outside. Convinced that it was relatively safe in the underground tunnel from prying eyes, they hopped out and slowly crept away from the idle truck. Within seconds it was tearing off again and they were left in silence.

They slumped down against the wall and sat in silence. Eventually Lelouch noticed that slightly glowing amber eyes were studying him thoughtfully. Her ears had yet to recede and were twitching occasionally.

“You grew up well Lelouch” she said appreciatively.

He gave her a rueful smile. “Well it doesn’t look like you’ve aged a day since I last saw you. Which was seven years ago in case you forgot.”

“No. I didn’t forget. How is Nunnally?”

“She’s fine. Care to explain why you were imprisoned in some weird gas like chamber?”

“Hmm… maybe some other time. We should leave before they notice that I’m gone.”

“Agreed. Can you walk?”

CC stood up testing her stability. “It would appear so. Well where to my knight in shining armor?”

“Home I guess.”

They made their way slowly out of the tunnels and Lelouch took in the outside scene. More knightmare’s had shown up to fight the red one. He could see them still at it in the distance…and they were making quite a mess… this was ridiculous. That red knightmare might be a vicious fighter, but was not very observant to the approaching swarm. His eyes landed on a crippled Britannian knightmare. He should probably just ignore this whole mess and get CC out of here, but it was the _Britannian forces_. He made a disgusted face. He hated them for obvious reasons. Well fuck it.

He made his way to the fallen machine and CC followed him. The operator had already gracefully made their exit and Lelouch climbed inside. CC followed him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders nuzzling against his neck as he started to monkey with the controls. It was obviously not able to move anymore, but the interface was still perfectly intact. He reconnected to the Britannian communication network and was somewhat surprised to hear Prince Clovis giving orders. Who in their right mind would give this man control over military forces? He was a superficial nincompoop. He even sounded like a nincompoop giving orders.

Lelouch made a disgusted noise and focused his attention back on the blinking lights on the screen showing where the remaining Britannian troops were. He played with the communications frequencies until he stumbled across the red knightmare’s communication.

“You’re not very good at strategica fighting are you?” Lelouch started in way of greeting.

“What!? Who the hell are you?” came an oddly familiar voice albeit a little angrier in tone.

“Someone who is going to get you out of this mess alive. You two should ditch the truck. There’s nothing in it anymore.” There was silence for a moment.

“How do you know that?” came a male voice that he recognized as the male driver.

“Because I already took its content.” There was another moment of silence.

“Shit! He’s right Kallen there’s nothing in this piece of shit!”

“Hey don’t use my name dipshit!”

“Oh shit. Right. Sorry sis.”

“Are you two done yet? Kallen there is a knightmare coming up on your right on the other side of the building” Lelouch stated calmly.

The rest of the battle (if you could call it a battle) went as expected. Kallen swore. Her brother contributed nothing useful to the whole ordeal. Other rebels piped in from time to time and Lelouch told them to shut up while he maneuvered the red knightmare perfectly. He only added a sarcastic insult from time to time. Only slight hiccup was an exceptional white knightmare frame that joined the fray towards the end, but they were able to lose it. CC continued to nuzzle against him appreciatively. Lelouch had turned into such a clever young man.

Once he successfully detached the rebels from the skirmish, he flipped back to the Britannian frequency and listened to Clovis flounder under his failure. God it was gratifying. Remember that flirting with evil genius line, yeah he was dangerously getting closer to hopping right over it. He chuckled darkly. As much as he would love to sit and preen in all of this accomplishment, he knew they should leave before the Britannian’s decided to come reclaim their equipment. He laced his fingers with CC and they gracefully exited the scene.

“Can we get pizza when we get back to your house” CC asked calmly with only a twinge of hope sneaking out.

“Yeah why not” Lelouch agreed. He flipped open his phone when it started buzzing. Rivalz was calling him. “Hello Rivalz.”

Queue panicky friend who was ditched in the middle of a traffic jam.

“Yes. Yes. Calm down. I got separated and am walking into my house right now. I’m perfectly fine and nothing is broken.”

Queue more rambling from said panicky friend.

“Rivalz shut up. I said I’m fine” Lelouch said in an exasperated voice. “Yes. I will see you tomorrow.”

Queue relieved rambling and excited goodbyes.

“I’m hanging up now. I will see you _tomorrow_.”

CC gave him a small amused smile. “It’s nice to see that you were finally able to make some friends throughout the last seven years outside of Nunnally.”

“Right. It’s been seven years. How can you still look at most like you are early 20s?”

“Immortal witch. Nothing too exciting” CC waved her hand dismissively.

“Right. I knew you were a witch. I did not know you were immortal. How did that happen?”

“Long story.” CC started taking off the white getup when they were in his room.

Lelouch squawked and averted his eyes. “What are you doing!?”

“What does it look like? I’m taking off this ridiculous outfit. Also cats do not squawk Lelouch. Are you sure you’re not bird?” CC asked in a slightly mocking/slightly amused tone.

Lelouch saw it only logical not to respond to such an idiotic question and threw a t-shirt and a pair of pants at her. She really did try to fit into the pants (not very hard if we’re completely honest), but Lelouch’s hips were slimmer than hers. Even if they were stretchy, they were tight and it was so much easier/freer to walk around without them. Lelouch gave up on the battle and settled for just ordering an excessively large pizza for delivery.

Lelouch took a quick shower. A very quick shower and changed into his pajamas. It might be a little early, but he had had a long day and was ready for bed. Once the pizza was delivered and he said goodnight to his precious little sister, they settled down in his room. Lelouch on his bed. CC sitting happily on the floor gorging on a greasy cheesy mess.

“Care to explain the gas chamber now?”

“I suppose. Your brothers, mostly Schneizel, was using me in experiments. Apparently I’m quite the rare find for anomalies. They were interested in the immortality thing, but more interested in trying to isolate my feline traits and eliminate them from my body. Perfect test subject for them as I can’t really die. Something about finding a cure, so their dear little brother can come back to live with them happily ever after.”

Lelouch snorted. “That’s thoroughly disgusting. Does _that man_ know what his children were up to?”

“Charles? No. This was their little pet project. Clovis isn’t even sure if you are still alive, but Schneizel is convinced that you are. Something about you being brilliant.”

“Oh. I feel so warm and fuzzy with all their love” Lelouch said sarcastically. He flopped down on the bed. “Well whatever. They failed. You’re free. I want nothing to do with them. I’m going to bed.”

CC made an acknowledging noise and continued to eat the pizza. Lelouch was startled awake by an unknown occupant curling up next to him on the bed. It took his sleepy mind a moment to realize it wasn’t a threat, but was just CC.

“Wha you doing?” he asked in a sleepy slur.

“Tired. I don’t have a bed and you’re warm” She said quietly and snuggled closer to him. One leg tangled in his as her arm wrapped around his chest.

“Fine. Tomorrow we’ll get you your own room.”

CC made another acknowledging noise and they didn’t say anything further. Both drifting off into a contented sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Lelouch untangled his limbs from the green haired cat lady next to him in the morning. He supposed it was kind of _weird_ that he felt so comfortable with this woman that he hadn’t seen in the last 7 years. Maybe it was because she was the only other Nekoti that he had ever met outside of his mother. Maybe it was the fact that she was always so calm and always knew things that she just _shouldn’t_ know. How did she know all these weird little facts anyways? Also, if she didn’t age like _at all_ , how old was she? He could be sleeping next to some ancient creature and would be none the wiser…and Lelouch considered himself _wise_. It was just _weird_ …

He pondered these very important ideas as he dressed for school. He did not need to shower this morning due to the fact that he showered last night. Thankfully. Well until gym class was over. He made a disgusted noise when he thought of gym. If only he could skip every day, but that was not an option…but if it was…

Lelouch went about his day normally. Even though he usually loved to over analyze, like everything, he figured he would deal with his new house guest and what happened yesterday that evening. Right now was a time for learning and _socializing_ (not something he was overly fond of and would try his hardest to avoid…at all costs…even if it involved hiding in a closet from time to time…from people…mostly of the female population…an occasional male _popping_ up as well).

He gave Kallen an appraising gaze when he walked over to his desk for his writing/language class. She blushed sweetly under the scrutiny. He pondered the question of if she really was the pilot of the red knightmare throughout class instead of listening to the teacher. Something he didn’t need to do because he was a genius after all. Lelouch was pretty sure that she was. The driver of the truck had the same unique hair color and he called the pilot of the knightmare Kallen. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure it out and since he _was a genius_ he already knew the answer.

“Um…Lelouch?” Kallen asked sweetly at the end of class.

“Yes Kallen?” he responded politely.

“I was out sick yesterday, so I was wondering if you could fill me in after school on what I missed?”

Ah! Right out _sick_. Of course she was. Lelouch chuckled to himself mentally. He had to wonder how many of the other times she was out _sick_ if she was really sick or running around being an anarchist. He was not about to admit that he had also missed school yesterday. That would raise too many questions and Shirley/Milly had already filled him in on most of the information anyways (they were considerate friends). The rest he would just bullshit. Lelouch was _very good_ at making up bullshit. “Of course. Anything for you Kallen” he replied just as sweetly causing her to flush adorably.

They had just settled down in front of the coffee table in Lelouch’s living room with their school materials. Kallen carefully watched Lelouch’s graceful movements out of the corner of her eyes. She watched as he carefully arranged notes, books, etc. She also watched as a green haired woman strode into the room in nothing but a t-shirt. The exotic looking woman laid down on the couch behind them exposing a pair of white panties. _What!?_ The pencil that was in her hand snapped in two causing Lelouch to give her a quick startled stare. His face was an adorable shade of pink.

“Lelouch where were you?” the green haired woman said sleepily, stretched arching her back and yawned.

“I had class. I am a student remember” Lelouch responded calmly. “This is a classmate Kallen Stadtfeld. This is CC…a childhood friend.”

“Pleasure to meet you” CC said in a bored voice and then turned her attention back to Lelouch. “Why didn’t you say goodbye. I woke up in bed all alone and it was cold…” She trailed off and wrapped her arms around Lelouch’s shoulders nuzzling against him.

Kallen snapped the _new_ pencil she was holding in two.

“T-that is not how it sounds!” Lelouch said quickly. His face flaming red at this point.

“Hmm…” Kallen’s eyes narrowed on him. “It sounds like you two slept together? Correct me if I’m wrong?”

Lelouch swallowed. Something about Kallen was screaming danger. His feline senses were instantly on high alert screaming the _flight_ reaction at him. “Just sleep! Nothing more. We didn’t have a room made up yet.”

“Apparently you didn’t have any clothes either…” Kallen replied in a chilled tone.

“Uh. No she just arrived yesterday and they lost her luggage.”

“When did you get into town?” Kallen asked the green haired girl, what was her name again?

“Yesterday afternoon. Lelouch came and found me. Such a gentleman” CC continued in a monotone voice.

That caught Kallen’s attention and she stared at Lelouch. “You weren’t in school yesterday?”

“Not all of it, but don’t worry Milly and Shirley caught me up with what I missed, so you don’t need to worry about missing out on anything either.”

“What time?” Kallen asked. A weird suspicion was creeping into her psyche at the moment…that voice on the communication line had sounded somewhat familiar…

“What?” Lelouch was watching her carefully.

“What time did you _find_ your friend?”

“Afternoon. It was quite hell trying to get back here with all the commotion” CC answered smoothly.

Kallen looked at her and processed the information comparing it to yesterday’s events. Was it possible? Also, she really didn’t like this green haired woman. Kallen was temporarily distracted by Milly and Shirley entering the room. Both of their eyes were drawn to the green haired woman draped oh so prettily over Lelouch’s thin shoulders.

“Ah…Lulu?” Shirley asked hesitantly. Her pale cheeks flushing shyly.

“Who’s your friend?” Milly asked in an amused tone. Her blue eyes twinkling as she looked the slim woman up and down.

Lelouch groaned (internally of course). This was getting really _complicated_. Really quickly. “CC is a childhood friend that is visiting from out of town. They lost her luggage ergo the strange attire. These are more classmates – Milly Ashford and Shirley Fenette. May I ask why you two are here?”

“You two skipped out of student council, so I had to come investigate to make sure you weren’t _up_ to anything risky” Milly winked.

Shirley played with the hem of her school uniform as her eyes darted between Lelouch and his… _friend_. She was very aware of the fact that women were always falling all over the man she loved, but that was in the figurative sense. Not the _literal_ sense. Not like this beautiful slim exotic pale green haired woman. Who was not only falling all over her Lelouch. She was _nuzzling_ him.

“Hmm… so many female friends Lelouch. You’ve been busy a boy…” CC teased lightly and ran her thin graceful fingers through his hair…and Kallen had now lost another pencil…Did she mention that she didn’t like this woman?

Lelouch detached himself quickly, but still gracefully, from CC. “Well duty as a good host is calling. I’ll be back with some snacks.” He needed to get out of here _now_. He could literally feel claws being extended. Not in the literal sense. None of them had claws. Well CC did, but that was beside the point he was trying to make.

“Oh how unfortunate to lose all your clothes” Milly said sympathetically. “I see Lelouch has been generous to a certain extent, but apparently not as much as he could have been leaving you without pants. What a _shameful_ boy.”

“Oh he did try to get me to put pants on, but I’m much more comfortable this way. Plus he kept me warm enough last night” CC responded dryly. This was boring. Idle chit chat with air headed teenage girls was not her idea of fun. She wanted Lelouch back. At least he was clever…and he did smell extreme-ly good.

Shirley’s pale face paled slightly more at that. Her green eyes growing open in shock…last night? What happened last night? Kallen’s blue eyes narrowed dangerously and her hands clenched none so femininely in her lap. Milly’s blue eyes twinkled with mirth and she practically bounced with excitement. This was interesting! _So worth_ cancelling the student council meeting today. Lelouch was such a _naughty_ boy. She would have to punish him for his little indiscretion.

“CC was it? I have a perfect solution for your misfortune. Shirley and I were going to go shopping anyways for new bathing suits. We would be honored if you would join us” Milly said cheerfully. Shirley looked at her with horror. “Oh of course Lelouch too! I’m sure he’d love to come shopping with four girls and carry all of our bags.”

CC’s attention was caught by that. If her furry ears were still present, they would be twitching in interest. Ok. Maybe this big busted blonde bimbo _wasn’t_ the worst (that was high praise coming from her). “Alright. I would be honored to accompany you and miss Fenette on your shopping endeavor. Is this _one_ coming too?” CC pointed lazily at Kallen (who had forgotten her sickly school girl guise and was glaring violently ready to break something _violently_ ).

“Of course I am!” Kallen answered instinctively. She would not leave her delicate Lelouch in the claws of this…of this _seductress_.

Lelouch took a deep breath before quietly walking back into the living room with a tray of snacks and drinks. He took in the appearance of the four female occupants in the room wishing desperately that his sweet angelic sister was here to save him from all this… _girl_ drama. Ugh. Milly was grinning wickedly (not a good sign), Shirley was looking slightly ill, CC was looking bored and playing with the fringes of the couch pillow and Kallen was looking murderous ( _really_ not a good sign. He’d seen what she could do in a mech). He smiled calmly at them.

“Lelouch darling dearest” Milly started sweetly. Warning bells rang out in his head. “We’ve decided to help your lovely little friend. I apologize, but your school work with Kallen is going to have to wait. We’re going shopping!”

“Oh. Ok. Have fun” he responded. _Oh thank God_! They would all leave and he could have peace and quiet. Maybe go into the basement and do something borderline evil genius-y.

“Oh sweetie. I think you’re misunderstanding. You’re coming with us to give your opinions and help carry bags. Well as much as your adorable little arms will let you” Milly had walked up to him and looped her arm with his… _tightly_. Lelouch swallowed. Now he knew why Shirley was looking ill…He felt _ill_. Where was Suzaku when he needed him? A muscular man would definitely help in this situation. “CC can you be a dear and go put on a pair of pants?” Milly contemplated the look of the green haired woman. “And maybe a jacket or sweatshirt or something.” That t-shirt did little to cover up everything that was indecent. Lelouch really had been _naughty_.

“First things first I guess. CC will need to have proper undergarments and I could use some new ones myself” Milly said confidently.

The five companions were standing in front of a Victoria’s Secret and Lelouch was starting to have a panic attack. He could deal with a lot of things. _Like a lot_. This was _not_ something he could deal with. His claws had already started extending as the anxiety crawled through him. He tried to take a step back, but Milly’s strongly feminine arms had him tightly in their grasps. CC patted his hand sympathetically and laced her fingers in his. Poor sweet innocent Lelouch. If he was going to sit on the throne one day (she had plans for him. Charles was a dick and he _needed_ to go), he would need to first conquer this pink frilly lacey store of doom. She would lie if she said she wasn’t slightly amused.

CC’s gentle hand hold settled him slightly. Just enough to get his breathing back under control and pull his frantic kitty cat back. Deep breaths. He let himself be directed into the store by the insistent blonde. CC followed closely to them as her hand was still being gripped tightly by Lelouch. Shirley followed with a flushed face. Kallen followed with a scowl noticing the hand hold.

Lelouch mentally tried to block out _this_ particular experience, but did not quite manage to. He was a thinker by nature and his brain loved to soak up information and store up anything it found useful…which apparently included images of his four female friends in different bras. At least they didn’t allow the panties into the dressing room. He wouldn’t really be able to handle that. He really couldn’t tell if Milly was a demon spawn or some benevolent angel from above. It was hovering between the line of pure torture and pure bliss. What he did know is it was really _hard_ to keep his claws and fangs in check. He was a red blooded male after all. CC trailed her fingers over the god awful gawdy undergarments with slight disdain, but the look on Lelouch’s face was so worth it.

“Lulu dear you’ve been awfully quiet” Milly sauntered up to him in concern and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Are you feeling left out?”

“No I’m fine. CC have you found whatever it is that you need? Can we leave yet?”

“Oh no. No sweetie. We are not leaving until you pick a lovely set for each and every one of us. Yourself included” Milly smiled sweetly. Lelouch _needed_ to be punished after all.

“What!? No. Not happening” Lelouch said quickly and tried to back away again…Did he mention that Milly had ungodly strength because she did.

CC watched sympathetically…well _almost_ …at the little scene that was playing out. Maybe she should intervene…however…Lelouch in lingerie? Hmm…choices choices. She settled on patting his head softly. He really needed to learn how to control his emotions more. This was a good lesson after all. He leaned into her touch slightly causing the hanger in Kallen’s hand to snap in half. Shirley’s eyes darted around awkwardly.

“Well hop to Lulu. Unless you do want to stay here all day” Milly said happily almost singing in delight. “Also try to be thoughtful in your choices. We wouldn’t want to have to any do-overs.”

Lelouch was physically ill at this point. He swallowed. He could do this. It couldn’t be that hard right? Just umm…pick out…lingerie for the only female friends that he had… and umm…pick…pick out a set for himself…Oh _god_. Is this what hell was like? If it was, Milly was definitely the Devil himself or herself. She was not a benevolent angel. He retracted that thought from earlier.

He walked around the store. CC stayed close to him offering her moral support. He would start with her first since she was right here anyways. He picked out a some frilly pink shit…He was not going to think any harder about it. Ok. Milly next since she was the evil mastermind behind this torture. He picked out some lacey red monstrosity (devil remember? Devils were red). Milly raised an amused delicate blonde eyebrow. Next. He picked out a basic baby blue set for Shirley…well because he thought it would like nice with her complexion and hair color…and well... **Ok.** Next. Kallen got a lacey black somewhat suggestive looking thing because it reminded him of some dangerous secret (like you know, being an anarchist on the side).

“Oh Lulu you’ve done so well. I’m so proud of you!” Milly crooned. “Just have yourself left and then we can leave.”

Lelouch picked out a royal purple (CC approved) piece with black lace. Milly finally let them leave. Praise the Lord. He was free! He took in a deep breath a fresh clean mall air. He would _never_ be going into that store again.

“Alright ladies and of course Lulu. Next on the list is swimsuits!” Milly cheerfully said and grabbed a rapidly paling Lelouch before he could escape.


	4. Chapter 4

Lelouch flopped down on his bed. Today had been exhausting to say the least. He wasn’t even sure how he survived it. He learned his lesson though. He was _never_ going to go shopping with Milly ever again. CC amusedly traced her fingers along the headboard of his bed. He glanced at her. At least she had clothes now…if only he could convince her to wear them. She was back to traipsing around in his t-shirt staring all thoughtfully at him.

“What?” he asked finally.

“Hmm…you handled yourself rather mediocrely today. I was expecting a little bit better from you.”

Lelouch snorted. “I’m sorry did you forget the hour of lingerie shopping and the swimsuits because I didn’t and I don’t think I ever will.”

“You have more important things to worry about besides that frivolous nonsense Lelouch.”

 “Really? What, pray tell, is that?”

“Let me ask you a question instead. What do you have planned for your life?”

Lelouch shot her a confused look. “I’m not sure what you mean? School, taking care of Nunnally, getting a good job in the future. Blah blah blah.”

“Is that really all? Would that satisfy you? You’re a prince Lelouch and a particular clever one at that. Schneizel is right in that regard.”

“Hmph. What does being a prince have to do with anything and may I remind you that would be _exiled_ prince. Presumably dead prince.”

“Are you happy with the state of the world? Do you think with all the civil unrest, chaos and subjugation that Britannia brings, that Nunnally will ever be truly safe? Doesn’t she always say that she wishes the world was a better and kinder place?” (Just one of those weird things that CC just shouldn’t know. It’s not like she spent any time around Nunnally…).

Lelouch couldn’t help but frown thoughtfully. She had pulled the Nunnally card. It was the quickest way to get him to agree to anything. As he was pondering her words, CC climbed onto the bed and straddled him. He eyed her carefully. “What exactly are you proposing witch?”

“I’m proposing, Lelouch vi Britannia, that you become the 99th Emperor of Britannia.”

Lelouch straight up laughed at her. Tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. “That’s impossible! Why would I even want to do something like that?”

“Because I can see into your _soul_ Lelouch. You would do anything for Nunnally and _overall_ you have kind and noble heart. You are also ambitious. Don’t try to deny it. Charles is destroying this world and killing millions. Will you really be able to sleep at night knowing that you could have done something to stop it?”

“Stop it? I’m just one man CC.”

“A clever man, a _deserving_ man and eventually you won’t just be one man. You will have an army. I will help you get it. I will help you get the throne.”

“This is absolutely the craziest thing I have ever heard. Why me? Why didn’t you choose Schneizel or Cornelia or any other of the numerous other royal siblings? Well except for Clovis as that one is obvious.”

“Because dear Lelouch I want _you_. I want someone who will get me the results that I _want_ ” CC said calmly and trailed her fingers through his hair.

“And what do you really want CC? This seems rather philanthropic for you…?”

“Hmm…we’ll get there eventually, but I assure you it is only good things.”

Lelouch couldn’t look away from the serious amber eyes even when she leaned in and kissed him. He didn’t respond really that much to it. His hands didn’t frantically look for purchase on her body. His mind stayed thoroughly intact as her words sunk in and he did that thinking thing. Could he really become the Emperor? She was right about one thing. Charles _was evil_ and destroying the world. If he didn’t do something about it, what would happen to Nunnally? What would happen to people like Suzaku who were barely allowed humanitarian rights? CC finally ended the kiss and looked at him. “First question how old are you?”

CC laughed. “Old.”

“I’ll consider your plan _after_ I get my army.”

“Of course” CC conceded and removed herself from his lap only to curl up next to him on the bed.

“CC.”

“Hmm…?”

“Get out.” She had her own room now. She could stay there and _not_ in his bed.

She rolled off the bed. “Alright your majesty.”

Lelouch scowled at the retreating back. He wasn’t seriously considering this right? Let’s be real. Yes. Yes he was. Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia did have a nice ring to it. Also, it would give him magnitudes of satisfaction to destroy his fath- _that man_ and take everything from him. If he had to step over the bodies (not literally) of his half-siblings along the way, that would also be a little gratifying. Especially Schneizel the arrogant prick.

He was just about to drift off when his phone rang. His heart fluttered in his chest. _Suzaku was calling him._ A genuine smile lit up his face (yes, he occasionally has those) and he answered rapidly. Just listening to Suzaku talk was enough to distract him from his thoughts of overthrowing Britannia. Well because as mentioned previously, Suzaku’s voice was magical. Suzaku was magical all around and he would be there on Monday. To _live_ with them. _Eek_. No. Lelouch would not squeal like a school girl. He had dignity! On a side note maybe he had been spending too much time with teenage girls lately…

When Lelouch wasn’t _swooning_ over having Suzaku back in his life, he spent his time that week thinking about the option of overthrowing the current ruler of Britannia because it _was_ appealing. Even if it _wasn’t_ exactly possible. Yet…The thought was still nice. Thinking wasn’t all that he was doing, he was also doing evil genius-y things in his basement. Like setting up an untraceable connection. Hacking into the Britannia’s military files and doing some internet stalking of the royal family.

He was also mediating between CC and Suzaku. They got along for the _most_ part. CC watched quietly as Suzaku and Lelouch interacted and couldn’t tell if he would end up being a valuable ally (she knew who he was and what he did) or a possible distraction to her plans…Lelouch seemed _attached_. Which wasn’t good as he might end up being their worst (k)nightmare in the future…For right now she would just sit back and enjoy the show…Lelouch was _cute_ when he was thrown off his game.

Suzaku felt _weird_ watching CC drape herself all over Lelouch. It was weird watching how close and comfortable they were with each other. It was also weird that she would disappear for hours at a time. Where did she go? How old was she? Shouldn’t she be attending school? _Something_? Instead of just lounging around all day long. She was _weird_ …and his instincts were telling him not to trust her…

CC wasn’t the only one that Suzaku was having trouble relating to. He was an Eleven attending school at a Britannian Academy. He was surrounded by Britannian students and it was weird. Lelouch’s friends were great though and tried very hard to include him in everything. Like the student council and the beach party event that Milly had set up.

Lelouch hated the beach. He loathed it. It was hot and dirty…and there was _water_ …He tried very hard not to gag however. Suzaku did chuckle lightly at the irritated scowl on his face. He ended up following the rest of the student council members to a shady location on the edge of the beach. Well the rest of them were putting on sunscreen lotion, Lelouch made himself busy setting up his ultra large beach towel as Milly had forbidden chairs this year saying there wasn’t enough room. At least she let them bring a couple of parasols. Lelouch had to remove his shirt for like a split second to put on the sunscreen.

“Lulu…umm…I can help you with your back…” Shirley volunteered softly.

“Oh! Shirley that is a brilliant idea! Lulu be a dear and lie on your stomach. Shirley and I will assist with making sure that beautiful pale skin of yours stays pale” Milly joined in happily.

Shirley was disappointed. She didn’t need Milly’s help. She definitely didn’t _want_ it. Lelouch was apprehensive, but he did need someone to help with his back just in case, god forbid, he missed a spot and got a weird sunburn pattern. Two sets of delicate female hands started to rub him down with lotion. One set on his back. The other one on one of his legs. He really didn’t need help with his legs, but you know…it’s not like he was going to stop them.

“I’ll help too. Just to…umm…get it done quicker” Kallen volunteered quickly.

Kallen took up the task on his other leg…and now there were three sets of hands touching him. They were progressively getting a _little_ carried away with this whole business…not that Lelouch minded…even if some of the hands were pushing up higher than needed under the bottom of his swim trunk…or lower than necessary on the top band…

Suzaku watched with amusement and…jealousy…? Wait. His eyebrows furrowed in thought. That can’t be right. He couldn’t possibly be jealous of the fact that these woman were touching his friend. Maybe it was because they weren’t giving him any attention. Yeah that had to be it. His eyes trailed over Lelouch’s thin pale body lying face down on the towel. A towel that he was gripping tightly with little claws…Suzaku’s thoughts were interrupted by a squeak from Lelouch. Milly had her hands down the back of his swim trunks…

“Ok. That’s enough. I’m pretty sure Lelouch is thoroughly covered at this point” Suzaku said quickly and gently pulled Milly’s provocative hands away from the slightly glistening soft pale skin. The girls all gave him dirty looks, but stepped away from Lelouch.

Lelouch took a couple of moments to compose himself…from that particular experience. Maybe the beach _wasn’t_ the worst idea. He sat up and gave Suzaku a grateful look. “Thank you for rescuing me.”

Suzaku smiled back at him. Dimples included. “Anytime. Here let me help you with your face.” Suzaku carefully rubbed lotion all over Lelouch’s face chuckling slightly at the pouty faces that he was making. His elegant nose crinkling ever so slightly. Milly carefully took some pictures of the moment.

“Turn around” Lelouch said firmly when Suzaku finished. “I’ll get your back.”

“Oh. I…um… don’t need sunscreen. I don’t burn” Suzaku said hurriedly as his face flushed.

“Shut up. Yes you do Suzaku. Even if you aren’t vulnerable to sunburns, you are vulnerable to skin cancer.”

“Ok then…” Suzaku said hesitantly and jumped a little with a squeak when Lelouch’s delicate long fingers touched him with the cold lotion. Ok. So yeah it felt really nice to have Lelouch running his hands across his neck, shoulders, biceps, back…his hips. His head tilted forward a little and he didn’t even notice the embarrassing little groan that escaped past his lips.

Suzaku wasn’t the only one enjoying himself. Lelouch was having an absolute field day. He should really apologize to Milly for thinking such awful things about her. The beach was working out wonderfully this year. I mean come on. He had an excuse to run his hands all over Suzaku’s body! Something that he had wanted to do…for…well since he thought about it in the shower that one time…Ok. Maybe thinking about what happens in the shower when he _thinks_ about Suzaku is not a very appropriate thing to do at the beach. He wouldn’t be able to _handle_ the situation properly in this place. Also the little groan that had escaped Suzaku was _not_ helping. Like anything at all. He quickly removed his hands and threw his shirt on lying back on his towel…on his stomach. Propping himself up on his elbows to casually read the book that he brought.

“Um…thanks…” Suzaku said quietly.

“Anytime” Lelouch said indifferently. His little fangs clinking softly with his lower teeth. 

They had been so caught up in their own little world that they had not noticed the looks that they were receiving. Rivalz was staring at them wide eyed because well that seemed awfully intimate…and they were both guys…Milly was taking pictures with a wickedly gleeful smile. Kallen looked confused. She wasn’t sure if she should find it adorable or if she needed to break something violently. Shirley was watching with a blush on her pale cheeks. Nina…Nina didn’t give a shit about what two guys did or didn’t do. Her focus was drawn to the three student council women in swimsuits.

While everyone ran around doing what people do at the beach, Lelouch took a nap. The sun was warm and he was relatively comfy. Plus it wasn’t like he was actually here to have fun. He had been forced here by ungodly strong womanly arms…not that there hadn’t been _a couple_ of fun moments so far.

Suzaku, dripping wet from his time in the ocean, looked down at the napping man with folded arms. Lelouch didn’t plan on sleeping all day did he? Weren’t they there to hangout…have fun… you know normal things people their age did. He really would appreciate some effort on Lelouch’s part. This was the first time, in a really long time, that he felt relatively like a normal human being and not some military guinea pig. He let out a frustrated sigh. He would wake Lelouch up and Lelouch would deserve it for being so thoroughly boring. He picked up the napping man and threw him over his shoulder.

Lelouch squawked at the abrupt manhandling. “What are you doing!?”

“Making sure you have fun” Suzaku said sweetly.

Lelouch’s eyes widened to comical size when he noticed the direction that Suzaku was carrying him. “NO! Suzaku you put me down right now!”

“Don’t worry I’ll be putting you down soon enough…” Suzaku trailed off as his feet touched the water.

“Suzaku! No please! You know how much I hate water! Don’t do this!” Lelouch started thrashing about in panic trying desperately to break away. It didn’t work.

Suzaku was a little over waist high in the water by this point and Lelouch’s legs and arms were comically bent trying to avoid any contact with the crashing waves. “Ready for some fun Lelouch…?”

“I will make you pay if that water so much as touches me” Lelouch ground out between clenched teeth. His fangs digging ever so slightly into his lower lip. He was trying really really hard to not scratch Suzaku with his claws.

“I look forward to it” Suzaku said cheerfully and then proceeded to dump the thin pale man, t-shirt included, into the water.

Lelouch yowled as he fell and the water touched him, but quickly had to snap his mouth shut as his head became submerged. He quickly shot back out of the water and launched himself into Suzaku’s arms which caught him effortlessly. Lelouch wrapped his arms tightly around Suzaku’s neck as his legs wrapped tightly around his waist. Suzaku was laughing uncontrollably. This had so been worth it and now Lelouch was clinging to him wet and soggy like he was some kind of drowning man that had found his lifeline.

“Get. Me. Out. Of. This. Water” Lelouch said angrily through clenched teeth.

Suzaku could feel his angry hot breath against his neck and his laugher dried up. A shiver ran through his body and he couldn’t quite tell what it meant. All he knew is that this wasn’t as funny as it had been a second ago. All of sudden having Lelouch’s wet body wrapped up so tightly around his and having his hot breath on his neck was doing something to Suzaku that he wasn’t quite comfortable with.

“Yeah. Ok” Suzaku said quickly and practically ran to the shore. A shore that had Milly giggling and taking pictures of the two of them. Suzaku didn’t say anything as he set Lelouch down on his feet. His face was red and it wasn’t because of a sunburn. He watched as a very disgruntled and soggy looking Lelouch stomped off. His wet t-shirt clinging tightly to his thin frame.

“Oh you’ve done it now Suzaku” Milly teased with an amused chuckle.

Suzaku swallowed. After a moment of hesitation he ran after his friend. Lelouch was standing a safe distance away from his towel glaring at it. His hands were on his hips and one hip was cocked to the side. “Lelouch…?”

“What!?” Lelouch snapped at him.

“I’m sorry…” Suzaku apologized lamely.

“Sorry!? Sorry doesn’t give me a dry shirt. Sorry doesn’t give me a dry towel because the moment I touch it, it will be soaked. Sorry doesn’t make up for the fact that I will now be sitting here even more miserable without a shirt and without a towel to sit on.”

“Right…ah wait a moment…” Suzaku said quietly and went over to his bag.

Lelouch refused to look at him. He was furious. Wet and furious. He did, however, look at Suzaku in surprise when he felt a towel fall over his head.

Suzaku looked away from the surprised violet eyes. “You can use mine and when you’re dry, you can wear my shirt if you want to…” Suzaku held up his blue t-shirt.

Lelouch took a moment to process the information and then he was ripping off his thoroughly disgusting wet t-shirt. Suzaku’s eyes traveled back to him quickly and watched as Lelouch ran the towel over his beautifully elegant frame. When Lelouch was done he grabbed the shirt out of Suzaku’s numb fingers with an irritated huff and pulled it on over his head. “Alright. You’ve been forgiven a fraction, but my swim trunks are still wet. How do you propose on fixing that issue?” Lelouch and Suzaku, like most of the guys at the beach, had just worn their swim trunks and didn’t bring any other shorts to change into.

“Huh? I…ah…” Suzaku trailed off as he looked lower on Lelouch’s body. His face burst into flames once again. “I…umm… don’t know…?”

Lelouch clucked his tongue in annoyance. “Never mind. You are dismissed, but you are not forgiven.” He waved his hand elegantly dismissing the stunned Suzaku. He then proceeded to wrap Suzaku’s towel around his waist and sit cross legged on the ground with a huff facing away.

Suzaku stood there for a moment slightly dazed. He took a step away hesitantly and then turned to look at Lelouch who was very adamantly ignoring him. He chewed at his lower lip. Ok. Maybe throwing Lelouch into the ocean had not been his brightest idea, but he wasn’t an idea man. He was an action man. Because actions spoke louder than words for him, he had to do something to make up for this.

Lelouch was brooding. He was still damp and he was brooding. His swim trunks were damp and sticky and sand was sticking to him…and he was brooding…stupid Suzaku had to go and ruin the otherwise barely tolerable day at the beach. He was plotting his revenge when the stupid muscular tan man sat down next to him. He _refused_ to look.

“Lelouch…?”

Lelouch growled. A very kitty cat like reaction.

“I brought you some ice-cream as a peace offering” Suzaku said in a very soothing voice. Lelouch’s violet eyes snapped to him and Suzaku had suppress the urge to giggle at the excitement he saw. Lelouch reached for the ice-cream, but Suzaku pulled it out of his reach. “You have to forgive me first.”

Lelouch’s violet eyes twitched with irritation. If his ears had been out, they would be flat against his head and the tip of his tail would be swishing angrily. He took a deep breath. “Fine. You are forgiven. Now ice-cream.”

Suzaku smiled one of his award winning smiles. “Right here you go.”

It was vanilla. His favorite. He took his first lick feeling quite content. Either Suzaku remembered it was his favorite or there weren’t that many to choose from. Not that it mattered. He was happy just to have ice-cream. Did he feel like purring? Maybe. Was he going to? No.

Suzaku might have kind of forgot that he also had ice-cream to eat. Watching Lelouch happily licking and biting into the ice-cream cone was mesmerizing. He was _adorable_. His violet eyes twinkling with delight under long black eyelashes. His thin lips turned up in the corners. When Lelouch looked at him with a pleased smile, he realized that he hadn’t really been breathing. He took a deep breath and smiled back.

“Suzaku! You’re ice-cream is melting” Lelouch said in panic and grabbed his wrist quickly. He then proceeded to use his soft pink tongue to lick up the sticky melted ice-cream that hand drizzled down Suzaku’s hand.

Suzaku froze and looked at him with startled emerald eyes. When Lelouch met his eyes, he flushed about a hundred shades of red and quickly released his hold on Suzaku’s wrist.

“I-I’m sorry…I got carried away there for a second not wanting the ice-cream to be wasted…I…uh…sorry…” Lelouch pulled his knees up and buried his flaming face into them. That had been awful. What the fuck was he thinking!? He just…He just licked Suzaku and…it was _way_ worse…because it was licking something white and sticky…and _oh god_! If he was thinking these kind of depraved thoughts, what was Suzaku thinking!?

Suzaku let out an awkward chuckle. “Uh…you really like ice-cream don’t you…? You can have the rest of mine if you want…”

 “Ah…ok…” Lelouch slowly pulled his face way from his knees. Anything to distract him from what he had just done. “Thanks…”

“Anytime” Suzaku said quietly.

They fell into a very awkward silence after that. Lelouch quickly ate the rest of Suzaku’s ice-cream cone and carefully avoided looking at the hunky man next to him. Suzaku also carefully avoided looking at the extremely beautiful man next to him. Milly, however, stared at them with wonder with her camera ready to capture anymore _amazing_ moments of adorableness.

The beach had been exhausting. Lelouch was exhausted and was nodding off on the ride home. He had also had enough touching that day, so he was being very careful to keep his limbs from touching either Suzaku or Kallen (he was sitting in the middle seat unfortunately). Best laid plans though don’t always work. He had nodded off and his head was resting on Kallen’s shoulder. She was blushing adorably…Milly didn’t miss the picture perfect moment. She also didn’t miss the next perfect moment when Lelouch flopped his head to the other side snuggling in on Suzaku’s shoulder instead with a contented sigh (the first one was a little bit bony for his sleepy consciousness to appreciate). Although Suzaku blushed furiously, he really didn’t mind and instinctively started petting the soft black strands of Lelouch’s hair. Kallen pouted and was once again torn between finding it adorable and wanting to smash something… like Suzaku’s face.


	5. Chapter 5

Suzaku was just getting back home (he did consider the Lamperouge residence more of home than anywhere else he had stayed in the last 5 years). It was late and he was exhausted after spending the day fighting terrorists. They were aggressive, but at least they weren’t very coordinated. He still hated it though having to fight against his own people. People he thought were _stupid_. This type of fighting only brought death not peace. He walked quietly down the hall, but tucked around a corner quickly as he watched CC walking farther ahead of him. What was she doing walking around in the middle of the night? More importantly, why was she entering Lelouch’s _room_?

Lelouch was still awake sitting in bed reading a book expanding his knowledge of the world. He briefly glanced at CC when she entered and barely gave her any attention as she climbed on top of him straddling his lap. He did however raise a delicate black eyebrow in question as she ran her fingers through his hair.

“It’s late. Is there something I can help you with?” he asked in a rather bored voice.

CC leaned forward and whispered in his ear. “You wanted an army. I have found you one. Well at least the start of it.”

“Oh really?” Lelouch’s tone was now slightly amused. “And where is this army?”

“The rebels or terrorists or whatever you prefer to call them. We already know that they have _some_ fire power, but they lack the necessary brains to wield it properly. They want Britannia rule out of their country. You want the current ruler of Britannia out of the picture.”

Lelouch made an agreeable noise. “I suppose our interests do align in a sense.”

“And if I’m not mistaken you have a little _in_ to their group in the form of a fiery little red head…”

“All true statements…Alright. I suppose I can test this little opportunity out and see where it takes us.”

CC smiled (kind of smiled? Well the corner of her lips were turned up) and nuzzled into the side of his neck. “I have faith you will succeed in winning them to your cause.”

Suzaku took that moment to open the door. He had been standing in the hall contemplating what reason CC could have to venture into Lelouch’s _room_ this late at night. Eventually his own curiosity got the better of him and before he could really think anything through, he was already turning the door handle. When he saw the woman straddling Lelouch and nuzzling into his neck in the dim room, he instantly regretted his actions. “S-sorry!” he stammered out quickly and turned to flee.

“It’s alright Suzaku. CC was just leaving” Lelouch said casually even though he was a little embarrassed. “You can stay.”

CC climbed off of the bed and started walking towards the door. “We will talk more tomorrow. Good night Suzaku and welcome back.”

“Y-yeah…night…” Suzaku mumbled not really sure what the hell was going on anymore. He couldn’t quite meet Lelouch’s eyes and awkwardly stood by the door.

“Was there something you needed?” Lelouch asked quietly as he studied the man by the door.

“A-ah. No. Just wanted to…umm…just wanted to say hi?” Suzaku cringed at the absolute absurdity of the statement.

Lelouch chuckled at him. “Was that a question?”

“Uh…no…” Suzaku really was out of his league at the moment. What possible reason could he come up with for entering Lelouch’s bedroom this late at night? CC obviously had a reason…

Lelouch took pity on his awkward best friend. “I’m happy you’re finally back. What kind of things does Lloyd make you do anyways? You look exhausted. You can sit down if you want.” Lelouch scooted over on the bed and patted the spot next to him.

Suzaku hesitated a moment before heading over and sitting down on the bed. “Oh. He doesn’t make me do too much. Just military stuff…”

Lelouch tensed. “You mean things for the Britannian military? What kind of things do you do for them? I remember Lloyd mentioning something about piloting knightmares…?”

“Yeah, stuff like that, but I’m not really allowed to talk about all the details… You know how it is. Military secrets and what not.”

“Hmm…” Lelouch tapped his finger on the book on his lap. “Suzaku do they ever send you into battles?”

Suzaku gave him a quizzical look. Lelouch didn’t meet his eyes and stared straight ahead. Was Lelouch worried about him? “Sometimes…but you don’t have to worry about me Lelouch. I’m really good at what I do, so I’m not going to get hurt or anything.”

 Lelouch turned towards him and cupped his face quickly. His serious violet eyes locked with Suzaku’s startled emerald ones. “Suzaku you shouldn’t be fighting for Britannia. They are tyrants who have imprisoned this country. _Your_ country. You are _Japanese_. You should be fighting for _Japan_.”

Suzaku was startled and somewhat scared by the conviction of Lelouch’s voice. He had never heard him talk like this. It was _dangerous_. If anyone heard Lelouch, it could get him in serious trouble. “Lelouch, I’m an Honorary Britannian fighting in the military to defend peace for all Elevens. Please don’t say such radical statements. It’s not safe for you or for _Nunnally_.”

Well _shit_. Lelouch couldn’t argue with that…at least right now. Not when he threw in the Nunnally card and it was late. He _would not_ give up though in talking Suzaku out of fighting for Britannia. Not with what he planned on doing. Suzaku needed to stay safe. Suzaku needed to be on _his side_. Anything else was _not_ acceptable. “Alright. Hey remember when we were kids and we used to stay up talking all night?”

They spent the rest of the night talking until they finally fell asleep. Suzaku woke up the next day and instantly felt awkward about a couple of things. First, his legs were tangled with Lelouch’s. Second, Lelouch was snuggled up in the crook of his arm. Thirdly, CC was staring down at them with an amused look on her face. That last one made him flame red.

“Morning. Sleep well?” she said in an amused and yet still bored tone.

“Ah…I got to get ready for school” Suzaku said quickly and jumped out the bed practically running to the door.

CC watched with amusement. Lelouch groaned at the rude awakening and buried his face back into his pillow. It smelled like Suzaku which caused a little smile to play on his mouth. Suzaku smelled nice.

“Get up Lelouch. We have things to attend to before you have to go do that pointless thing you insist upon doing.”

“It’s called school and it’s not pointless. It keeps up the appearance that I am a _well-adjusted_ member of society and _not_ an exiled cat prince planning to overthrow an entire empire.”

Suzaku was only mildly avoiding Lelouch that day. Ok. More like he was doing everything he possibly could not to be around the man he had slept with (Just sleep. Nothing else!). He felt weird. Being around Lelouch was awesome because he was his best friend. Completely _platonic_ best friend. They were just close. Which should be normal for best friends. It should not make Suzaku feel _weird_ , but it did and he couldn’t figure out why.

That’s how he found himself in a completely deserted area of the campus. He had ran when he saw Lelouch walking his way and he felt ridiculous. No doubt Lelouch was wondering what the hell was going on, but Suzaku had no idea how to explain anything. He plopped down on the floor leaning against the wall with a sigh. Being a regular teenager was a lot harder than he thought it would be.

Well at least he had this cat to keep him company…wait…what? Suzaku instantly became aware of the fact that he was petting a scruffy gray cat with a black spot around one of its golden eyes. When the hell did that start happening? He was interrupted from his contemplation when the little beast bit his finger.

“Ow! What the hell was that for?” he fumed quietly as he put pressure on the bite to stop the little bit of bleeding.

The cat responded with a meow and then jumped on his lap. Suzaku stared at the little fiend not quite sure what to do. Did he pet the cat again or would that lead to more finger biting? Did he push the cat off of his lap or would that again lead to more biting? He furrowed his eyebrows in thought.

“Suzaku! There you are” Shirley came up to him a little breathless. Her large green eyes landed on the cat in his lap. “Oh! Who’s your friend?” She quickly walked over and kneeled next to him petting the cat.

“I don’t know. He just kind of put himself here” Suzaku responded.

“He’s adorable!” She scooped the cat up in her arms and stood up. “Milly sent me to find you for the student council meeting. She would have sent Lulu, but at the mention of you, he seemed a little peeved…So umm… here I am. Come to fetch you on the orders of our President.”

“Oh. Ok” Suzaku stood up and started following her. What else could he do? It’s not like he wanted to piss Milly off. She was kind of scary.

“Did you and Lulu have a fight?” Shirley asked a little shyly. Also, was it wrong of her if she kind of wanted them to be fighting?

“Uh. No. Nothing that serious. Just wanted a little space was all…” Suzaku answered lamely.

Shirley pouted her lips. Space from Lelouch? Was Suzaku stupid? Who would want any kind of space from Lelouch? She wouldn’t. In fact one day she was hoping for there to be no space at all between them…She blushed and hid her face in the cat’s hair.

They walked into the club room and were instantly assaulted by Milly and Rivalz about the cat. It was quickly decided that the cat would be the student council mascot and Suzaku should name him since he found the adorable thing. That was how the little gray fur ball received the name Arthur and a place to live. It was also decided that the next day they would have a little party to welcome the additional member. Milly insisted. Which meant that it would happen regardless of what anyone said and no one said anything because they were actually all on board this time.

Suzaku really should have expected it. Being ignored by Lelouch. He was ignored all through the student council meeting. He was ignored walking home. He was ignored during supper and then Lelouch just disappeared. Suzaku knew he should apologize. He stood in front of Lelouch’s bedroom door and this time, he knocked. There was no response. He slowly opened the door and took a peek. Lelouch wasn’t in his room or the bathroom. He spent some time walking around the house, but didn’t find the elusive man and none of the staff seemed to know where he was. CC was nowhere to be found either. Where the hell were they? What were they doing?

Lelouch and CC were in the basement working on evil genius-y type things. Lelouch was in the process of dialing a certain red haired girl’s number into a new disposable cell phone. CC was in the process of putting a few finishing touches on some outfits that were being assembled. Every super hero (or villain depending on the point of view) needed a disguise. It wasn’t like Lelouch could run around throwing his face everywhere. That was not an option.

“Hello” Kallen answered in a hesitant voice.

“Hello Kallen. I’m not sure if you remember me or not, but I am the man who helped you get out of that debacle with the useless truck” Lelouch said. He was using a voice changer thingy just in case Kallen was as clever as he thought she was.

“…I remember…What do you want?”

“I’ve decided to volunteer my certain talents to help with your cause. You have the strength, but you lack the final touches. I can provide you with strategy. Make your efforts amount to something.”

There was silence for a moment. “You’re asking that we trust a man we know nothing about. Have never seen. On a whim? What do you get out of this?”

“I get the satisfaction of seeing Britannia fall. I want revenge. You want your country back. In my opinion we could greatly benefit from each other.”

“What’s your name?”

Oh. _Shit_. Right a name. Wow. For a genius, he really failed on that part of the plan. Ok. It needs to be something different. Something cool. Something _mysterious_. Hmm… “Zero.”

“I’ll talk to my people _Zero_ , but we won’t work with someone we’ve never seen before. We’re going to have to meet in person to see who we’d be working with.”

“That’s perfectly acceptable and expected. I know the perfect place. Just let me know when you are ready.”

The call disconnected and Lelouch let out a sigh. That was surprisingly easy. Now the hard part would start.

“That sounded like it went sufficiently well” CC commented. “Here. Put on your outfit _Zero_. Let’s see how it looks.”

Suzaku jogged up to Lelouch who was still ignoring him. Man can he really hold a grudge. “Lelouch. Wait” Suzaku said quickly and grasped Lelouch’s hand. “Will you please quit ignoring me? I’m sorry about yesterday. I was feeling…a little off. I didn’t mean to upset you that much.”

Lelouch gave him a pouty stare. “Don’t ever ignore me again Suzaku. I did _not_ like it.”

“Alright deal” Suzaku said with a charming smile which wasn’t fair! How was Lelouch supposed to stay grumpy when he looked at him like that? “Am I forgiven?”

Lelouch took a deep breath. “Yes. You are forgiven…”

Lelouch’s eye twitched in annoyance. Suzaku might have temporarily been forgiven, but he was quickly getting back on Lelouch’s bad side. In fact, Milly, Shirley, Kallen and even Rivalz were quickly being added to his list of people that he was very much upset at. Almost to the point of plotting some kind of revenge against them.

“Oh come on Lulu! It’s for Arthur’s party. We all need to show that he’s welcomed here” Milly said enthusiastically as she tried to shove the god awful gray stripedy spandex contraption of hell at him. She herself was in a black leotard with pink furry lining, black tail and black cat ears. “If you don’t willingly change, we will all strip you…” she warned with a wicked twinkle in her eyes.

“Oh come on Lelouch. I bet you’ll look great as a _cat_ ” Suzaku said with way too much amusement in his voice. Suzaku was dressed up in a blue cat body suit and smiling at him all charmingly and shit. Lelouch was _not_ amused. This was _demeaning_. _Especially_ for him.

Shirley in her pink furry cat costume smiled sweetly at him and placed cat ears on his head. “See you look adorable.” Again, this was _demeaning_.

He would have backed away, but he was pinned between Milly and Suzaku. Each of them holding an arm firmly. Kallen, dressed in a black and tan outfit, was busy unbuttoning his shirt. Something she was enjoying maybe a little _too_ much. Especially when her fingers _accidently_ brushed against the smooth skin of this stomach. She had just started on his pants.

“Stop! Fine! I’ll put on the damn outfit. Just please quit stripping me” Lelouch choked out quickly as his face flushed pink. They grinned at him. He was just too adorable. Even Nina thought he was adorable…well for a boy anyways.

When Lelouch finally exited from behind the changing screen the room fell into an awed silence as eyes roved over his figure. Milly was very much proud of herself for picking the tight spandex outfit for Lelouch. It fit his figure perfectly. Shirley flushed redder than should be humanly possible. Kallen had to fight the urge to just pounce on him right then and there. Suzaku swallowed hard because…well…crap. Lelouch looked great dressed in that cat costume. Maybe he could take it home and let his actual cat ears out…that would look even better. Wait. He seriously didn’t just think that, did he? Yes. Yes he did. Queue the blushing.

Lelouch eventually stopped being so broody and actually started to enjoy himself. They all joked about his affinity to cats as Arthur seemed rather attached to him. It’s not like Lelouch could refute the comments, so he let it slide. Just like he let it slide when Suzaku mentioned he had frosting on his face and laughed. He was a little thrown off when Suzaku proceeded to wipe it off with his finger and stick said finger into his mouth. Lelouch stared at him in surprise. Milly stared in wonder and was so very thankful she had her camera ready. Rivalz watched with wide eyes…once again finding it oddly intimate for two guys.

They were all about to head out for the day back in their regular clothing when Milly pulled Lelouch to the side. “Thanks for your participation today” Milly said pleasantly as she handed him an envelope. “These are some pictures from the beach party. I figured you wouldn’t want these _particular_ photos in the club scrapbook, but I thought you would appreciate them.”

Lelouch opened the envelope and looked at the pictures of him and Suzaku. He appreciated them. A lot. “Yeah. Thanks.”

“There are probably some from today that won’t be suitable for the album either. Do you want those as well?”

“Yes. I would appreciate that and…umm… if there are any other ones like these in the future…” Lelouch said a little awkwardly.

“Of course Lulu! They’re all yours.” She smiled sweetly at him and winked. She wasn’t exactly sure what was between Lelouch and Suzaku, but they seemed to be a little more than just friends. They were _adorable_ together. Was she a little jealous? Hell yes.

“What did Milly want?” Suzaku asked when Lelouch finally joined him.

“Oh. Nothing important just some club stuff” Lelouch said and waved his hand dismissively. 

“Ok. Hey Lelouch…I…ah was wondering what your and CC’s relationship was.”

“We are friends.”

“Yeah, but the other night when I…walked in on you two…that seemed umm-“

Lelouch cut off the awkward question. He really didn’t want to discuss his relationship with the green haired woman to Suzaku because, well, it was a little complicated…“We are just friends Suzaku. CC just gets overly _cuddly_ sometimes. Why are you wondering?”

“A-ah no reason. Never mind…” Suzaku clenched his fist and unclenched it with nervous energy. “You seemed like you had fun today.”

Lelouch grimaced at him. “We are not talking about what happened today. _Ever_ again.”

Suzaku laughed and smacked him lightly on the back. “Whatever you say your royal kittyness.”

Lelouch gave him a quick startled look, but it only made Suzaku laugh harder. That was a little too close to the actual truth for Lelouch to feel comfortable with. He tried to smile in return to play it off, but the smile didn’t meet his eyes.

Lelouch walked down the empty corridor towards the three other occupants in the deserted office building. They all turned towards him and tensed. Kallen was instantly wary of the man walking towards them dressed up in some _ridiculous_ outfit. A purple suit with gold lining, an overly dramatic cut cape with upturned collar and a black helmet…not that it didn’t look cool, but that was beside the point.

“Are you Zero?” Kallen asked stepping forward.

“I am.”

Kallen snorted. “I see that you find it necessary to wear a mask. That does not instill a lot of trust…”

“I apologize, but my identity must remain a secret and it shouldn’t matter to you. Either way I will help you get Japan back. Have a little faith Kallen.”

 “Why should we have faith in you?” The reddish haired male (obviously related to Kallen) asked.

“Do you have a lot of choice? Right now you are losing. If you want proof of my skills, name the battle and I will deliver you a win.”

“I have a better idea. We want Prince Clovis’s head. Then maybe we’ll believe you and you will have our full cooperation.”

Lelouch frowned inside the mask. Well that is unfortunate…


	6. Chapter 6

Lelouch stood next to CC with folded arms observing the finishing touches on the underground windowless room. The terrorists wanted Clovis’s head, but Lelouch really had no plans on killing his nincompoop of a half-brother. Clovis was relatively stupid and Lelouch was having a hard time justifying killing him. That is why he came up with another solution. In the eyes of the world Clovis would die, but it would just be a deception.

“Are you really going through with this?” CC asked in a bored tone. She couldn’t quite tell if she was amused or annoyed at Lelouch at the moment. Showing mercy to any of the royal family could prove to be a weakness and foil any future plans.

“Yes.”

“Fine, but don’t tell me I didn’t warn you…” CC yawned and walked away.

The stage was set. Queue epic battle (well kind of epic). More like chaos and confusion. The impressive white knightmare from the Britannian forces was locked in battle with the equally talented red knightmare of the terrorists just like many previous times. The other terrorists were doing other terrorist-y things while the Britannian military was doing their military things. Zero was directing his troops proficiently. Clovis was just a nincompoop trying to direct his troops. He was not very effective and was easily distracted. In fact, he was so distracted and misled by the chaos that he didn’t notice Zero and a couple other terrorists infiltrate his little safe room. Well until Zero shot him…with a tranquilizer.

Zero carefully propped Clovis up on the chair and pulled out his phone to take a picture of the regal looking blonde with disheveled hair. He then directed the terrorist muscle that had accompanied him to pick up the stupid prince and carry him out.

Suzaku was trying hard not to let the red knightmare get the better of him. He was used to having the upper hand in fights, but this enemy always gave him a run for his money. He was so into the battle that he almost missed the command to withdraw. It took him a moment to process this information. Apparently the terrorists had gotten to Viceroy Clovis. How was that even possible?

Both sides withdrew. Suzaku was still a little numb to the whole thing. This was the first time that the terrorists had gotten a successful win and to take the Viceroy out at the same time…It was almost unbelievable… What was also unbelievable was the message that was playing on all news channels. A man calling himself Zero was giving a message of defiance to Britannia and declaring himself the savior of Japan. He explained that either Britannia removes their military from Japan or he would remove the royal family from Britannia. Then there was a picture of Clovis slumped in his chair with a bullet wound through his head.

Clovis woke up with a splitting headache. He took a moment to take in his surroundings. He was lying on a bunk bed in a dim room. He sat up and shook his head gently. His long blonde hair swayed gracefully. He stood up elegantly and squeaked in indignation when he realized that he was practically _naked_. He was just wearing his silky boxers. He quickly wrapped the sheet around himself to protect some of his dignity.

“Welcome to your new home Prince Clovis. My name is Zero and I am your new landlord in a way.” The voice over the intercom chuckled. “There are some clothes in the drawer and some books and games on the shelf to keep you entertained. Don’t try anything funny this room is under constant surveillance.”

Clovis straightened his back and glared at where he assumed the voice was coming from. “You will not get away with this. My siblings will come for me.”

The voice laughed again. “Oh I’m counting on it. They will be joining you soon enough, but make yourself comfortable in the meantime.”

Clovis gave up talking to the impertinent voice and walked over to the drawers to find something to wear. He paled in disgust when he pulled out a t-shirt with some obscene punk rock band and a pair of _jeans_. He was Prince Clovis! He did not wear jeans! He would rather run around in his silky boxers than put on something…so…beneath him. He did throw on the t-shirt though. He didn’t want these perverts ogling his glorious body after all.

He then explored the shelves. There was a deck of cards, the games of _Sorry_ , _The Game of Life,_ _Charades_ and _Cards Against Humanity_. There was also books… _children_ books…books about love, tolerance and responsibility. Lelouch did have somewhat of a sense of humor about this whole affair after all. Maybe his half-siblings would learn something useful. The games…well each one entertained him in their own special way. Clovis was not as entertained. Zero was obviously a sick person. Especially when the slot on the door opened in the evening and he was provided a McDonald’s happy meal. First, _eww_ , grease. Second, he was not _happy_.

Lelouch laughed darkly watching his half-brother adjusting to his new life. He was sitting in the basement of his house. He had set up additional monitors so he could watch his little prison from the safety of his own home and it was _not_ creepy.

“I can’t tell if you are a benevolent person or a depraved torturer…” CC said lightly as she ran her fingers through his black hair.

“Only time will tell I guess” Lelouch said with one last chuckle before turning his attention back to the monitor that had Britannia’s military information. The TV was playing in the background running his message and reporters were commenting on it. No surprise that it was tilted in favor of Britannia’s Empire.

“Well now you have the start of your rebel army. I still can’t believe they bought your excuse for keeping Clovis alive…”

“I’m quite persuasive when I want to be.”

“Yes you are. I have to tell you a couple of things that I think will be pertinent in the upcoming events Lelouch. You will not like it all.”

Lelouch turned towards her and gave her a wary look. “Alright go on.”

“First, I know you are extremely worried about Nunnally’s safety, but Sayoko will take good care of her. Sayoko is one of us Lelouch. She is a Nekoti whose family has served yours for generations. She is a _skilled_ body guard. In more ways than one.”

Lelouch’s eyes grew in surprise. _What!?_ Before Lelouch could pepper her with questions, CC continued.

“Second, the white knightmare that caused us the most trouble, the one you are plotting to eliminate, is piloted by Suzaku Kururugi. What you do with that piece of information is up to you, but you _cannot_ let it stop you from the end goal Lelouch.”

Lelouch instantly forgot anything Sayoko related as the information about Suzaku sunk in. It was like his brain was slowly being covered by molasses. It felt thick and sticky. He slowly stood up and walked out of his secret lair. He ended up standing in a doorway watching Suzaku smiling fondly and laughing with his darling sister. He knew Suzaku was a military lap dog, but if he was the pilot of the white knightmare, that threw a monkey wrench in his plan. A very _big_ monkey wrench. He had been coming up with a plan to eliminate the biggest threat that they had encountered so far…Which he _couldn’t_ do anymore…Dammit! Fuck! His claws dug into the palm of his hand and he grimaced in annoyance. When Suzaku looked up at him, he broke into one of those dazzling Suzaku smiles. Lelouch turned on his heel and strode back out of the room.

Suzaku’s watched him in confusion. What was wrong with Lelouch? He looked absolutely pissed and irritated. His pupils had been narrowed to slits. Suzaku excused himself from Nunnally and chased after Lelouch…who had disappeared again…How the hell does he do that?

Suzaku was confused, slightly hurt and frustrated. Lelouch had been carefully avoiding him for weeks. He would talk to him, but it was brief and cold. Suzaku _hated_ it. He hated it even more because he would be leaving the next day with Lloyd and Cecile to go back to Britannia to regroup after the whole Prince Clovis fiasco and the resulting battles. Prince Schneizel was doing a well enough job in responding to the threat, but the terrorists were getting exceptionally better and were actually winning skirmishes. They were also raiding military supplies and getting away with equipment and weapons. It was getting dangerous and he didn’t like it. He _hated_ it and he was sick of Lelouch avoiding him.

That is why he had chased him down and pinned against the wall of his bedroom. He had Lelouch’s bony wrists pinned on either side of his head and was glaring into the startled violet eyes. “You’re avoiding me. Why? What did I do to upset you?”

Lelouch took a deep breath and released the tension in his body. He averted his eyes for a split second and then looked back into Suzaku’s emerald eyes. “I have been. Sorry. I’ve been dealing with some stuff and I don’t want to burden you with my troubles” Lelouch said calmly with a pleasant little smile.

“I’m your friend Lelouch. You can tell me anything. If something is bothering you, tell me and I will try to help” Suzaku said earnestly. He was concerned by the little smile on Lelouch’s mouth. It was obviously fake.

“Ok. I will, but do you think you can let go of me now?” Lelouch said in an amused tone. Suzaku still had him pinned and their bodies were practically touching.

“O-oh…uh…yeah sorry” he mumbled and backed away from Lelouch.

“Hey don’t worry about it anymore ok?” Lelouch reached up and patted the curly brunette hair.

“If you say so…I meant to tell you earlier this week, but someone’s been avoiding me. I’m actually leaving tomorrow and I am not sure when I’ll be coming back.”

Lelouch’s hand quit petting the soft brunette hair and his eyes darted away for a moment. “Oh. Ok. So you won’t be in Area Eleven then for a while?”

“Yeah. Prince Schneizel is going back and requested Lloyd to accompany him. Lloyd demanded I go with too.”

“Isn’t it a bad idea for Prince Schneizel to leave? Who will protect us from the terrorists if he’s gone?”

 “Princess Cornelia is taking his place for the time being.”

“Oh. I see…that’s reassuring. I’ve heard she’s a military prodigy or something like that” Lelouch replied thoughtfully. His brain already racing with different strategies. Cornelia was definitely an easier target then Schneizel. He had brains. She had brawns. If Suzaku and his pretty little knightmare were out of the way, maybe they would be able to trap her on the battle field…hmm…so many options. He was interrupted from his wickedly devious thoughts by two manly hands grasping his biceps firmly and shaking him.

“Lelouch! Hey are you ok?” Suzaku said with almost panicky concern.

“Huh? Oh yeah. Sorry thinking…” Lelouch said somewhat distractedly. He took a deep breath and tried to reign in his thoughts to focus on the concerned tan face in front of him. “Really. I’m fine. Sorry for worrying you.”

“You weren’t responding. I’m worried about you…You’ve been off lately” Suzaku said softly and then quickly pulled him into a tight embrace. “Really if you need anything, let me know. I’m here for you.”

Lelouch was startled being enveloped in strong muscular arms and being pressed against the firm muscular chest and feeling Suzaku’s warm breath caress his ear. His always thinking brain came to an abrupt halt and he stood there awkwardly for a moment. He then tentatively wrapped his own arms around Suzaku’s slim waist and buried his face into the crook of Suzaku’s neck. “Thanks.”

“Anytime” Suzaku said fondly.

“Also, I hate to point out the obvious, but you won’t really be _here_ for me starting tomorrow” Lelouch said in an amused tone and smiled.

Suzaku laughed and then pushed him away playfully. Lelouch looked into the charming smile and his brain tried to memorize every little detail about the happy face in front of him. He felt an unease looking into it. Suzaku should always be smiling and happy. He should always be able to be care free. He should just be _free_. Under Britannia’s rule, he would never truly be free.

“Hey Lelouch…Will you do me a favor before I go?”

“Sure. What is it?”

“Can you let your cat ears out? I want to see the real you one last time before I leave.”

Lelouch didn’t even have to think about it. If it was for Suzaku, he would gladly pull down his defenses. They spent the rest of the day in relative peace. Lelouch let Suzaku play with his ears and pet him…not because he _liked_ it, he only did it to make Suzaku happy (that’s a lie. He loved it, but he _would not_ purr).

Suzaku did feel better when he got on the air carrier to head back to Britannia. His anxiety about Lelouch had almost completely disappeared. Last night he had seemed happier and lighter than he had for weeks. Suzaku liked it when Lelouch was happy and smiled. Like really smiled. The last couple of weeks had scared him.

When he got back to Britannia it went as was expected. Military planning, testing, the usual stuff. He didn’t mind it. Not really. It was always a little weird to be in Britannia’s capital though since he was an Eleven, but most people turned a blind eye to him seeing as he was part of the military. The one person who wouldn’t turn a blind eye though, was sweet Princess Euphemia.

They were walking through the palace gardens together. Her delicate hand sitting gently in his larger one. Her guards a safe distance away. Out of hearing range, but not out of eye shot. Well until she ducked around a large hedge and tried to steal a quick kiss. A kiss that he dodged away from.

Euphemia gave him a pouty little look. “Hey, what’s the big deal mister? I haven’t seen you for months and then I try to get a quick hello kiss and you dodge. Shame on you…” she said in a teasing tone and bopped his nose.

“Uh… We shouldn’t be kissing at all Euphie. If anyone saw us, I could get into serious trouble” Suzaku said trying to sound logical.

Euphie chuckled softly at him. The noise light and charming like bells. “That never stopped you before Suzaku.” She smiled gently at him. “Unless you found someone _special_ at that new school of yours…” A delicate pink eyebrow raised in question.

Lelouch’s face, cat ears included, flashed for like a _split second_ in his mind and he froze. Where the hell did that come from? Why did he think about Lelouch?

“Oh my god! There is someone special!” Euphie squealed with delight and clasped her hands in excitement. “Tell me about her! I want to know everything!”

Her? Suzaku shook his head trying to clear it. “Uh…there is no one…”

“Yes there is. Don’t try to lie Suzaku. You’ve always been horrible at it.”

“Can we just talk about something else?” Suzaku gave her a pleading look. It worked and she sighed in defeat. They continued on their stroll. The guards none the wiser to their little intimate moment. The rest of his time at the capital went relatively smoothly. Until it wasn’t going smoothly anymore. Princess Cornelia had been killed in battle. A new video came out from Zero showing her body strewn on green grass and rubble. There were wounds on her body and a bullet hole through her head.

Cornelia groaned angrily at the headache she was experiencing. When her violet eyes locked with the obnoxious turquoise of her brother’s, she groaned again. “You’re supposed to be dead.”

“If only. It would be preferable to this living nightmare” Clovis said in a disgusted tone.

“Where are we?” Cornelia asked still kind of groggy as she pushed herself up. She looked down at the pinky frilly sun dress that she was wearing. “And what the hell am I wearing?”

“We are in some kind of prison that Zero set up and at least your clothes are pretty. I mean look at what I’m wearing. Jeans, Cornelia, _jeans_. It’s disgusting and they’ve only been giving me fast food. I’m going to get fat!” Clovis whined at his horrible traumatic experience.

“Get away from me. I need to think and you’re obnoxious.” Cornelia stood up and walked around the little prison that looked more like a small apartment. It had a fridge, furniture, 3 bunk beds, etc. She went to the door and started to try and force it open.

“Now my dear Princess Cornelia. I know you like to throw your weight around, but that isn’t going to work. Why don’t you make yourself comfortable and catch up with your dear brother.”

“Who are you and what the hell do you want?” Cornelia said very angrily and very loudly.

The voice chuckled. “I am Zero and what I want is for you to enjoy your stay. I’ll be back later to talk. Well maybe. I’m pretty busy with destroying Britannia at the moment. In the meantime do try to enjoy yourself. The rest of your siblings will be joining you eventually.”

“If you so much as hurt a hair on my sister’s head, I will have you head on a platter. Do you hear me!?” Cornelia declared angrily. Her dark pink hair swaying violently as she raged. It was met with silence. “Are you listening asshole? I mean it!”

Suzaku got back to Ashford midafternoon. Classes were still going on, so he decided to just meander around until it was over. He would then find Lelouch and surprise him. Maybe they could skip out on student council and just hang out for a while and catch up. He had missed the normalcy that Lelouch and Nunnally provided. None of that crazy military drama. None of the guilt of seeing Euphie mourning her sister. When he saw the elegant frame of Lelouch ducking around a corner and quickly hiding in a closet, he couldn’t stop the amused smile on his face. Silly sneaky Lelouch hiding from a group of teenage girls that shortly turned the corner and looked around searching for something. Probably an adorable male with black hair and beautiful violet eyes.

Suzaku waited a couple of minutes before walking over the closet and tearing the door open. Terrified violet eyes locked with his. They quickly morphed into excited and Lelouch threw his arms around Suzaku’s neck. “Hey you’re back! Please tell me you’re here to save me?” Lelouch asked happily.

Suzaku chuckled. “I’d always try to save you Lelouch. Even from a bunch of frisky teenage girls.”

“Hmm… speaking of frisky teenage girls” Lelouch mumbled quietly with a grin. “Hi Milly.”

“Suzaku! You’re back! You’re just in time for the planning of the Halloween Festival. Now if you two would kindly detach yourselves from each other, we can head to the club room.”

“Oh. Right” Suzaku said quickly and removed his arms from around Lelouch.

Halloween…was going to be…well something. Milly decided that all the guys had to dress like princesses and all the gals had to dress like princes. Something about showing moral support for the royal family is what she claimed. Lelouch wasn’t so sure if it wasn’t just her sick way of getting all the men into pretty dresses. His dress was spectacularly pretty and Milly made sure he looked spectacularly pretty everywhere. Long black wig, a tiny amount of makeup as it was decided that Lelouch was pretty enough, and a form fitting red and black dress. Lelouch had to admit he looked… _alright_.

Suzaku was having a hard time not staring at his very pretty best friend. Lelouch made a very convincing princess…a very convincing _girl_ …and he was feeling weird… _again_ … He himself was provided a long brown wig and a green ruffly dress. He didn’t look as bad as he thought he would. He did feel self-conscious though standing next to Lelouch on the raised stage with the rest of the student council because Lelouch was just so freaking pretty… Like wow.

 Milly explained the rules of the event. It was a haunted treasure hunt around the school. The festival was taking place in the evening because it was Halloween. Students could work solo or in a team to complete the treasure hunt. The winning person/team would get giant sacks of candy and movie tickets to a horror film. ‘Prince’ Nunnally was in charge of guarding the sacks of candy and tickets along with ‘Prince’ Milly. The rest of the student council dispersed to partake in the festival. ‘Princess’ Lelouch actually _wanted_ to participate, so that he could win the candy for his beloved sister. He could care less about the movie tickets as he would not be taking his sweet sister to anything remotely horror related even if she wouldn’t be able to see.

Weirdly enough the student council decided to work together. They did split up on the second floor to search separately. The latest clue wasn’t very specific, but it did lead them to believe the next item was in one of the classrooms on this floor. ‘Prince’ Shirley decided to join ‘Princess’ Lelouch because he was pretty and she wanted to spend time with him…alone… it didn’t happen that often…and it was all dark and spooky which made it somewhat romantic?

“Umm… you look really pretty tonight…” Shirley said in a timid voice.

Lelouch gave her a wry smile. “I’m sure most men like being called pretty. I would say you look handsome yourself, but that would be a lie. You’re still too pretty to be mistaken for a guy.”

That made Shirley blush furiously. Lelouch just called her pretty. Queue internal fan girl squealing. They were kneeling down together looking under a cabinet in one of the classrooms. “Umm…Lelouch…”

“Hmm…?” Lelouch responded distracted. He started pushing himself up from where he had been practically laying on the ground. What he met on his journey up was soft pink lips as Shirley kissed him…softly of course, because she was a gentle girl. Lelouch froze not wanting to startle her…and her lips were really soft…and they tasted good…they were sweet like Shirley…and…

“Hey we found the treasure…” Suzaku said cheerfully as he and Kallen walked into the room. He stopped mid-step and looked upon the scene.

Shirley squeaked and stood up quickly head-butting Lelouch in the process. He swore and held his forehead to sooth the injured area. Suzaku just looked at them stunned in silence. Kallen was very much fuming and felt like breaking something… Thankfully Suzaku was holding the item for the treasure hunt, so it was safe from her clenching fists.

“Well that’s good. I suppose we’ll move onto the next clue then” Lelouch said smoothly as he stood up and pressed the wrinkles from his dress. He strode past the two by the door. Suzaku followed a little unsurely. Kallen glared daggers at Shirley, who was looking quite guilty and quite red in the face as they followed the ‘princesses’ out.

They split up for the next couple of treasures as this was taking way too long. Kallen refused to let Lelouch out of her sight and refused to let him be alone with Shirley again. What had happened was just not acceptable…some other girl’s lips on Lelouch infuriated her leading her to a very impulsive decision…which was pressing Lelouch firmly against the book shelves in the Library and kissing him _firmly_.

For the second time that night, Lelouch was at a loss and frozen with shock. Where Shirley had been tentative and soft, Kallen was aggressive and firm which he enjoyed…a lot. Her lips were also soft…and warm… and she was cupping his face with her hands. For someone whose brain was always noisy and thinking, it was awfully silent at the moment… Lelouch grasped Kallen’s hips and pulled her closer as he deepened the kiss. She obliged and wrapped one arm around his neck while the other one wrapped around his upper back.

Kallen parted her lips and Lelouch groaned into the kiss as his tongue moved past his own mouth. Kallen, who was only _slightly_ aggressive despite her passive school girl appearance, refused to let his tongue take control of her mouth and fought back with hers for dominance. One of his hands moved lower on her backside (he was touching her butt to put it in blunt terms) and pressed their hips closer together as his other hand pushed up her shirt feeling the smooth skin of her stomach. Carefully avoiding any claw to skin contact. Yes his claws were out because he was feeling a little _frisky_ at the moment…

“Lelouch…?” Shirley asked in a tiny voice as she stumbled upon the scene in the Library. Tears were already starting to form in the edges of her eyes. How could he be kissing Kallen…like _that_? After they had just shared their first kiss earlier tonight.

Suzaku was again at a loss for words and just staring wide eyed. The two who were a second ago making out furiously broke away from each other quickly. The small area around the four people was filled with an awkward silence that was finally broken by Shirley who let out a little sob sound and quickly ran away. Kallen swore and chased after her leaving two guys dressed as princesses in an even more awkward silence.

“Lelouch… what are you doing? That was a little unfair…” Suzaku finally said. He was a little flabbergasted by the whole situation.

Lelouch felt weird, guilty and _frustrated_. “I don’t know…I just…ugh…I need to leave. I’m done with this…” he said irritated and started to walk past Suzaku.

Suzaku grabbed his arm firmly as he tried to walk past him. “Lelouch wait. Are you ok? This doesn’t seem like you at all…”

Lelouch let out a sarcastic chuckle. “Doesn’t seem like me…? You think you know me so well huh?”

Suzaku was feeling a little creeped out at the moment. Probably didn’t help that they were in a dim lit Library. He also didn’t like the dark tone in his best friend’s voice. He turned Lelouch, so that they were eye to eye and grabbed his shoulders. “Hey what’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong…?” Lelouch said quietly and leaned closer.

Suzaku felt a shiver run through him as he felt Lelouch’s warm breath caress his own mouth. His startled eyes focused onto the face inches away from his…Lelouch wasn’t meeting his gaze and was staring at his lips... “Lelouch…?” he asked tentatively.

“I…I just…” Lelouch stuttered and then took a deep breath and turned his head away from Suzaku taking a step back. “I’m just tired…I’m going to go change and go home…will you finish the treasure hunt for me?”

“Ah…yeah. I can…” Suzaku said carefully as he studied his best friend who seemed quite unlike himself at the moment. Lelouch said his thanks and Suzaku watched as he walked out of the Library.


	7. Chapter 7

CC joined Lelouch as he stalked back to his house. “You were a busy boy tonight” she commented lightly.

“Were you spying on me?”

“Hmm…not spying per say…stalking maybe halfheartedly. I was kind of hoping you’d win that candy…”

“Well I didn’t” Lelouch said still slightly irritated and CC was not helping at the moment. She reached up to pat his head, but he pulled away from her touch. “Please don’t. I am not in the mood.”

“Wore yourself out huh? Fine whatever…what are your plans for the rest of the night?”

“I’m going to go do something useful with my time and try to figure out a way to get Guinevere and Odysseus taken care of. The fact that they never leave Britannia leaves me at a disadvantage.”

“Not ready to take on Schneizel yet?” CC asked in her typical bored yet amused voice.

“No. He’ll see me coming before I even get within a mile of him. That is going to take a lot more planning.”

Suzaku was still slightly concerned about Lelouch, so after he made sure Nunnally was safe and sound with Sayoko, he made his way to Lelouch’s room…which was empty…He spent the next little while searching the large house, but didn’t find Lelouch anywhere. It did not alleviate his concern _at all_. It made him even more concerned. He decided to wait in Lelouch’s room until the elusive man showed up.

Lelouch looked down fondly at the man sleeping soundly in his bed. Soft brunette curls mussed up on his pillow. Slight bit of drool at the corner of slightly parted lips. He smiled fondly before climbing in next to the muscular man in his bed and snuggling up to the warm body. He let out a contented sigh. Suzaku made him feel safe and warm. It was nice…

The next couple of weeks went quickly. Milly thoroughly scolded Lelouch for being a complete playboy. She was not impressed. Shirley said she forgave him, but he still felt guilty. She was almost too forgiving. Too nice. Lelouch handled Kallen carefully (he really didn’t want a fist in the face. She was scary). Suzaku was too distracted to really care about the little details of Lelouch’s love life at the moment. He had his hands full with trying to neutralize the threat of the terrorists that were now referring to themselves as the Black Knights. He did notice though that Lelouch was increasingly distracted and withdrawn. The smiles were stiff. The violet eyes were guarded. No one else seemed to notice, well except for Nunnally. She had talked to him about it a couple of times. To say he was concerned would be an understatement, but he just _didn’t_ have the time right now.

Lelouch was struggling slightly against his clever half-brother. Schneizel was such a pain in the ass and it was like he could predict Zero’s moves before he even took them. Lelouch was losing ground and losing it quickly. He needed to do something about it and something quickly. That was why he set up a meeting with the Japanese Liberation Front. They were meeting in a neutral location at the bottom of a mountain side. Small cabin. Remote. Perfect. Too bad it appeared that Schneizel somehow knew about it and they were fighting…again.

Lelouch swore to himself and tried to regain control of the battle. The Japanese Liberation Front was assisting as well, so they weren’t losing entirely. In fact, it appeared that they would actually be able to turn the tide against Schneizel’s troops or at least make a break for it. Until all shit broke loose and the mountain side collapsed. The majority of the Black Knights escaped the fallout. Zero was knocked unconscious, but was scooped up by Kallen in the red knightmare. Some of the Britannian forces were not as lucky to escape, but the casualties were miniscule on their side as well.

The only group that was not so lucky were the miners that worked in the mountains. Elevens and some Britannians were completely wiped out. The chaos was insurmountable and everyone was reeling especially a certain pilot in a white knightmare. Suzaku had been ordered to shoot the bombs that had been placed on the mountain in order to eliminate Zero and his allies. He landed next to the after effects of the landslide. He dropped to his knees looking at the chaos that he had caused. A hand here. A body there. All dead. Because of his shot that detonated the explosives.

He was easy picking for the Black Knights and sure enough they plucked him up. They would have killed him on the spot if it wasn’t for Zero’s orders that if he was ever vulnerable to capture him. _Not kill him_. He had been _very_ adamant about that. Suzaku bruised and numb looked up into the face of his former childhood mentor, Tohdoh and Zero who was not really Zero. The real Zero was still unconscious somewhere. He was then dragged away chained to an isolated room with guards watching him.

Kallen hopped out of her knightmare and ran over to Zero. He was unresponsive and she was concerned. She hesitated only a moment before removing the helmet…and then she froze. Beautiful black hair fell onto beautiful pale skin.

“Lelouch…” she whispered in stunned surprise. She wasn’t even sure what shocked her more. Zero was Lelouch or the fact that Lelouch had cat ears. Like _what_ on so many different levels? How was this even possible? How could she have missed this? _Cat ears!?_

Lelouch’s eyes fluttered momentarily behind his closed eyelids. Kallen watched him closely and then shifted to rest his head on her lap. She gently ran her fingers over the delicate cat ears and they twitched slightly causing her to hold her breath in wonder. She watched him carefully as she continued to explore the ears…This was just _weird_.

Eventually Lelouch’s eyes opened dazedly and violet eyes met her curious blue ones. He groaned slightly and shielded his eyes from the bright light with his arm. “Well I guess my little secret is out…” he mumbled eventually.

“Which one? The one where you’re Zero or the one where you’re a cat?” Kallen asked a little amusedly.

“What?” Lelouch said quickly and touched the top of his head feeling the ears. He blushed adorably and sat up quickly. Kallen watched in wonder as the ears disappeared. “You didn’t see anything.”

“A little late for that I think. Lelouch what are you?”

Lelouch gave a quick (very quick) overview of what he was and made her promise not to tell anyone about the fact that he was a kitty cat person or the fact that he was Zero. Of course Kallen agreed because it was _Lelouch_. She would do anything for him and to be honest she was feeling…well a lot more attached and protective of him now. He was helping them to free Japan and he was an _adorable_ cat human hybrid…It was just too much for her not to fall in love with him even more.

They made their way back to the secret hiding place that the Black Knights and the Japanese Liberation Front had decided to hold up in. Lelouch Zero dismissed the other shorter/slimmer Zero not bothering to explain anything to anyone. Not that they questioned him. At this point Zero already had their trust and they didn’t question his motives/etc. Lelouch stumbled slightly when they told him that they had captured the pilot of the white knightmare. He took a couple of moments to compose himself before confronting the still emotionally struck pilot.

Long story short Lelouch tried to convince Suzaku to join their side and get rid of Britannia’s hold on Japan and Suzaku numb to the words and world declined him adamantly. He put part of the blame on what happened to the innocent miners on Zero’s decisions. If Zero wasn’t busy trying to undermine the peace, then the Britannian military wouldn’t be forced to use such drastic measures.

Lelouch ended up storming out in full blown kitty mode. Not that anyone could see the ears under the helmet. The cape did enough to hide the poofy tail. The gloves had little holes where his claws had poked through. He didn’t care at the moment. The other shorter/slimmer Zero joined him quickly enough and pulled him away from any prying eyes just in case. The other Zero also told him to get his shit together. This was not the time for a meltdown.

The rebel forces dispersed eventually after strategizing how to use what happened in their benefit (which they did. Violent Britannia. Blah blah blah) and what to do in the future about the threat of Schneizel who really was a thorn in their sides. They knocked the pilot of the white knightmare out and left him their unbound per Zero’s orders…not that they agreed with him at all and would have put up more of a fight if Tohdoh and Kallen hadn’t agreed to it.

Monday morning was a little tense for certain members of Ashford Academy. Lelouch was still a little bruised physically from getting thrown around during the landslide and emotionally bruised from Suzaku refusing to join him. Suzaku was still emotionally broken from dead people he felt responsible for and physically bruised where he was manhandled and knocked out by the rebels. Kallen was physically doing great even if she was playing the sick school girl, but was still mentally awed by what she learned of Lelouch and mentally shaken that Suzaku was her most hated enemy. Suffice to say it was an awkward and shitty Monday…

Lelouch dealt with it as best as possible and without CC (she ran off somewhere to do something. Whatever). He gave Suzaku his space and convinced Kallen not to act out at him. Kallen pouted at that. She now knew why Zero had ordered her to not kill the pilot of the white knightmare…and she was jealous…like _way_ jealous. She was also worried about the fact that Lelouch was living in the same house as someone who worked for Britannia and wanted to kill him. How could she not be extremely concerned?

By the end of the week Lelouch was exhausted and more than happy to meet CC at a private hotel room (just to talk! Nothing dirty! Well hotel rooms are dirty in general…). CC was sitting casually on the bed with her kitty cat traits in full view and there was a boy standing a little bit away. He was short, slim, had fawn brown hair and pink eyes. What was more surprising though was the little brown cat ears.

“I’ve brought you an early birthday present. This is Rolo” CC introduced the young Nekoti in the room.

“Hello” Rolo responded in a soft monotone.

“To explain briefly, Charles has been slowly hunting and eliminating any remaining Nekoti in the world ever since he learned about you and your mother. Some of the surviving Nekoti banded together and trained to defend themselves through _various_ tactics. Rolo is one of these Nekoti. His family was murdered by the Britannian forces. He is a very skilled assassin and knows some other associates that have agreed to assist you.”

Lelouch took a moment to think over the information. The boy looked emotionless and bland. He gave him a warm smile. “I thank you for your offer. It is very generous of you.”

“It is nothing. She explained that you are also Nekoti and plan on destroying the Emperor. That is good enough reason to assist you.”

“Well thank you all the same” Lelouch said with the same warm smile. It wasn’t enough that they were the same race. It didn’t necessary mean loyalty. He wanted to tie this boy to him fully. An assassin in his pocket could come in very handy after all.  “I know you don’t have an actual family anymore, but I would like you to consider me family. Let’s do this together.” He held out his hand to the boy.

The words and action got a slight reaction out of the slim boy and his pink eyes grew a fraction bigger before returning to their bored expression. It was enough for Lelouch to know that he had hit a nerve. “Of course. Thank you” was the bland reply and the boy’s ice cold hand grasped his.  

Lelouch didn’t waste any time with Rolo. He returned to the Lamperouge residence and constructed a list of people he wanted Rolo and the other Nekoti assassins to eliminate. Mostly extended relatives that had denounced him as a monster (he really could hold a grudge) or any that he thought would cause him trouble on his rise to the throne. He also asked Rolo to capture his oldest half-brother and sister that were holding up in Britannia. Someplace he couldn’t go himself. It was really great having his own little army of sneaky kitty cat people. Of course they weren’t complete miracle workers and it wasn’t like they could just eliminate anyone on a whim, but still there was a little progress. More importantly, Zero was up two more house guests in the little apartment.

Cornelia lounged on the couch bored…really bored. She refused to play anymore games with Clovis, especially _Charades_ , or read any of those _stupid_ kid books. Clovis doodled on some paper that had been nicely provided upon his request. Odysseus was still out cold. Guinevere was slowly waking up with a splitting headache. She slowly sat up and looked around making eye contact with her sister. Clovis was ignoring her in favor of his drawing. If it ever became a choice between his family or art, Clovis would choose art. It was more pleasant. Guinevere looked around the room with annoyed olive green eyes and thin lips.

“Where am I?” she asked sharply. She glanced down at her attire. A basic brown t-shirt and basic tan slacks. Her fawn brown hair fell into her face and she gracefully tucked it behind her ear.

“You were captured by Zero” Cornelia responded bluntly.

“How the hell did that happen?”

“Don’t ask me. I wasn’t there. Anyways welcome to your new home. It’s _glorious_ ” Cornelia said sarcastically.

Odysseus joined the world of living shortly after dressed in generic clothes (Lelouch had no idea what would irritate him because he was just too boring to begin with) and they all listened to Zero as he greeted them _warmly_. Just two more siblings to go… One a very annoying pain in the ass and difficult to get close to. The other a sweet delicate little flower that he would have to pluck eventually…he really didn’t want to. On a side note, it was really fun watching his siblings interact. It was like his own little reality TV show.

Lelouch walked around after his little successes a tad bit more cheerful. He had carefully been working on cheering Suzaku up as well. Nunnally, because she was always so absolutely wonderful, was probably helping Suzaku more. Suffice to say the sun was slowly making its way back into the Lamperouge household. Which was good because Lelouch’s birthday was coming up and everyone deserves to at least be mediocrely happy on their birthday.

To say that Lelouch was mediocrely happy on his birthday was a slight understatement. It was actually quite wonderful. After months of stress and wickedly devious plotting, it was nice to just sit back and relax. It was also nice to be surrounded by the people he cared about the most. It was nice to have people celebrating _him_. Not because he was a prince, not because he was Zero, but because he was _Lelouch_ and almost half of the party knew what he that he was a cat hybrid and they accepted him fully. He smiled between a bite of cake as he watched the student council, Nunnally and even CC enjoying themselves (well CC was there and she liked the food).

Lelouch liked to think that he was a modest person and that he didn’t need anyone to buy him gifts. He told them that spending time with them would be enough, but they really didn’t listen to him. Usually he didn’t like it when people went against what he said, but today he guessed he could make an exception. Just this once.

Lelouch sat in the chair surrounded by presents and eager happy eyes watching. He smiled back at them and it was genuine. Of course he started with Nunnally’s gift (beloved sister after all). It was pajamas. A soft gray t-shirt and soft pants with…cats…on them…she giggled. He thanked her sweetly. Milly got him a leather jacket that was red, white and black. Then she made him put it on to show everyone how sexy he looked in it. He tried not to blush, but failed miserably. It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to people _staring_ …it was just…this particular group of people and he didn’t have a mask prepared for it. Kallen gave him a swiss army knife in case he ever needed to defend himself (subtle…). Shirley gave him a good luck charm to put on his phone or bag or whatever he wanted. Nina gave him a pen. Rivalz gave him a chess set that had shot glasses instead of actual pieces. Never mind that he wasn’t old enough to legally drink… Suzaku’s gift was a book of short stories. It was the same one that they had read to Nunnally as children when Lelouch and Nunnally first moved to the Kururugi Shrine. Lelouch loved it and was a little bit of a loss at words. Milly noticed and took pity on him and tried to divert everyone’s attention elsewhere. She really was a great friend and particularly observant.

“Wait what about CC’s present?” Shirley piped up innocently.

CC who was eating another giant piece of cake in the corner looked up with her fork hovering inches from her mouth. “I already gave him his present” she responded indifferently and finished putting the fork in her mouth.

“Oh! What did you give him?” Shirley asked still as innocent as ever.

“A boy” CC said bluntly and put another piece of cake in her mouth.

“Huh!? Whaaat!?” Shirley responded startled. Everyone else was now staring at her wide eyed. Lelouch paled and felt the strong urge to face palm.

“Joking” CC responded in a bored tone. “Fine I’ll give Lelouch another present, so that everyone can see it this time.” She stood up and walked over to Lelouch. She then proceeded to kiss him…on the mouth…with tongue…in front of everyone. “Is that better?”

Shirley was sputtering incoherently. Kallen was trying to figure out where that swiss army knife went. Milly took a moment to recover and then laughed. Lelouch looked ridiculous with his wide violet eyes and gaping mouth. Rivalz was so totally jealous. How come Lelouch got all the girls? Nunnally was confused by the commotion and Suzaku was filling her in with a little shock in his voice. Nina…well Nina was Nina and she wasn’t particularly interested in the green haired girl, so she really didn’t care.

Somehow, Lelouch was still not sure how, the party resumed its previous state. It was probably due to Milly. She always had a talent for redirecting people’s attention. Lelouch was slightly miffed by CC’s stupid display. It was going to lead to weird speculations about their relationship and their relationship wasn’t _weird_. Ok. So yes it was very weird, but it wasn’t like they were… _lovers_ …or anything. Just somewhat sort of friends working towards the same goals…or something like that. Eventually the party died down and everyone went home leaving Lelouch, Nunnally and Suzaku. CC had disappeared after the food was gone. There was no appeal to be by the noisy teenagers anymore.

Lelouch begrudgingly put on the kitty cat pajamas at the request of his perfect sister and tucked her into bed. He settled next to her propping himself up on the headboard and Suzaku sat at the foot of the bed. Lelouch then opened the book that Suzaku had given him and read a story to his sister. A story about a princess locked in a tower and rescued by a dashing prince (corny and cliché). It was like old times. When he was 10 and nothing mattered in the world except his beloved baby sister and his newly acquired best friend. The nostalgia was almost enough to overwhelm him in the moment. Nunnally fell asleep eventually and Lelouch and Suzaku slipped quietly from the room.

“Hey Lelouch…” Suzaku said quietly as they walked down the hall. “I have another present for you…”

Lelouch faltered in his steps and looked at the man next to him that was averting his eyes and blushing. The man that was grabbing his hand and pulling him along down the hall. Lelouch followed with wide violet eyes. Another present?

They ended up in the kitchen and Suzaku let go of his hand. He then proceeded to pull out a pint of Vanilla ice-cream and he gave Lelouch one of those dazzling Suzaku smiles. The ones that melted Lelouch’s defenses. “You don’t have to eat it now. I just wanted to show you.”

“No!” Lelouch said quickly and grabbed the ice-cream before Suzaku put it back in the freezer. “I mean…I could eat some now…will you join me?”

“Of course!” Suzaku said with a giant toothy grin and then grabbed two spoons.

They hopped up on the counter sitting next to each other as they started to eat the ice-cream. Well Lelouch was the one who was mostly eating. Suzaku was watching him. Watching the thin lips tilting up in a pleased smile. The violet eyes twinkling happily. His cat ears twitching slightly…Lelouch really did look adorable when he was happy like this… His thoughts were interrupted when he heard his phone buzz.

Lelouch watched as Suzaku fished out his phone and swiped his password pattern to unlock his phone. Suzaku frowned slightly and typed out a reply. He then set his phone on the counter next to him and looked off into space for a moment.

“Is everything alright?” Lelouch asked eventually.

“Huh?...Oh yeah sorry thinking” Suzaku gave him a fond smile. “Today really was a good day wasn’t it? You looked like you had fun.”

“I did.” Lelouch pursed his lips for a second. “Suzaku thank you for the book. It means a lot to me and to Nunnally. Do you remember when we found that book buried in the library? Torn and tattered.”

“Yeah” Suzaku responded fondly. They then spent a while reminiscing before Suzaku put the ice-cream away and said goodnight. Lelouch was about to hop off the counter and head to bed himself when he saw Suzaku’s phone on the counter… He reached out for it. His hand hovered over it for a second before he picked it up.

It really wasn’t that hard to mimic Suzaku’s pattern and after a couple of attempts, he was in. He knew that he shouldn’t be prying, but he was a curious cat and it was Suzaku. He wanted to know everything. Did he really did know him or not…? Sometimes the little voice in the back of his mind mocked him about it.

He started with the pictures and smiled amusedly at the amount of pictures there were of Arthur. Even if the cat bit him constantly, apparently Suzaku was still fond of the little bugger. There was very pictures of scenery. Pictures of him and Nunnally. There was a picture of him and a pink haired girl…Wait? _What!?_ Why did Suzaku have a picture of him and Euphemia? How did they even know each other? Lelouch panicked just ever so mildly and continued to scroll furiously through the pictures finding a couple more of his half-sister.

He exited the photo album and took a deep breath trying to calm his thoughts. He was clearly over thinking this…clearly. He wanted a distraction, so he went to the text messages hoping maybe to find something else to distract himself with…maybe there would be military secrets or crap like that… He opened up the latest conversation that Suzaku had responded to not more than half an hour ago to someone who was just labeled _E._ It was mostly bland boring conversations about being sad, comforting words, the weather, food, etc etc. Wow this person was _boring_ … His finger stopped the scrolling when he saw the word _kissing_. This person was upset that Suzaku wouldn’t kiss them anymore because he had found some other girl to love. First, kissing Suzaku!? No Lelouch didn’t like this. Second, Suzaku was in love with some girl!? No he didn’t like that either. His tail and ears were twitching with annoyance. He was still quietly fuming when he heard noise coming down the hall. He quickly locked the phone and put it back on the counter.

Suzaku looked startled to see him still sitting on the counter. “Hey you’re still up.” He sounded surprised. “I forgot my phone.” He walked up to the counter and pocketed it. “You should go to bed. Come on.”

Lelouch hopped off the counter and looked at Suzaku carefully. He then did something completely impulsive and completely stupid. He kissed him. It took him a second to realize that Suzaku was not responding… _at all_ … He quickly took a step back. “I… umm…” He cleared his throat. “I am sorry I guess I’m more tired than I realized and apparently a little more emotional. Today was a little overwhelming. Please forget what just happened.” Lelouch let out a little chuckle trying to lighten the mood.

“O-ok…” Suzaku said slowly and looked at him with large emerald eyes. What the hell was that!? His best friend just kissed him… _What!?_

“Well I guess I’ll talk to you in the morning” Lelouch said calmly and walked away from a still stunned Suzaku. When he was out of sight of the kitchen, he sprinted to his room and shut the door quickly. He dove under the covers of his blanket and tried to calm his racing heart. Suzaku didn’t respond _at all_. Even when Shirley and Kallen had surprised him with a kiss, he had automatically responded on some level…Probably because he found them attractive, but Suzaku didn’t do _anything_. It obviously meant that he wasn’t attracted to Lelouch in anyway…and… _it hurt_. Lelouch was intelligent enough to realize what he did tonight and what it meant. It meant that was very clearly attracted to his best friend in a non-friendly manner. Ugh. Dammit. Shit. Tears started to trickle out of the corners of his eyes. He did try to hold them back at first, but you know what? Fuck it. It was his birthday, his party and he could cry if he wanted to.


	8. Chapter 8

Suzaku didn’t have any idea what to do about the weird kiss. Lelouch hadn’t mentioned it since, so maybe it really was just him being tired…or emotional…or _something_. He just couldn’t figure out why it _bugged_ him so much that Lelouch hadn’t brought it up because for some strange reason Suzaku wanted him to. Ugh. He was so confused and Lelouch wasn’t helping, like at all, being his detached and calm self…Well fine then if Lelouch wanted to pretend like it didn’t happen than that is what he would do out of respect for their friendship.

Lelouch was kind of stunned how easily Suzaku seemed to move past the kiss. He didn’t talk about it and continued to treat Lelouch in the same manner as her always had…well for the most part…he was careful to not get to chummy or touchy. Lelouch _didn’t_ like it and he was annoyed. To add to his annoyance, he was nowhere closer to figuring out how Suzaku and Euphemia were connected. It wasn’t like he could just come out and ask him. Also, who were the mysterious girls in Suzaku’s life? The one that was a previous make out buddy and the new apparent love of his life?

He was also dealing with the pain in the ass that was known as Schneizel. He was nowhere closer to getting rid of that particular annoyance. At least Rolo wasn’t disappointing him and he had a couple of new pictures to add to his particular message. These latest ones were not doctored. In terms of the whole rebellion front, things were slowing down slightly. Mostly due to fact that it was winter and it was cold and there was snow _everywhere_. Lelouch was more than willing to wait it out a little longer. That way he could stay warm and cozy in his lovely abode. He wasn’t a fan of snow. It was cold and _wet_ when it melted.

Too bad he couldn’t convince Milly that it was better to stay indoors. Lelouch shivered uncomfortably at the top of a hill. He really needed to stop letting Milly strong arm him into these situations. At least they hadn’t forced him into a sled…yet…and great Suzaku was walking towards him with one of those very charming smiles.

“Hey Lelouch you should come sledding with us” Suzaku said cheerfully.

“Yeah. That is a definite nope. Not happening” Lelouch grimaced at him.

“It will be fun I promise! I’ll even come with you and protect you from all the scary dangers” Suzaku teased lightly and wrapped his strong arm around Lelouch’s waist…which caused Lelouch to lose his train of thought…and now he was in a sled sitting between Suzaku’s legs…and really why was he complaining about sledding again?

Oh. Right that’s why. Lelouch spit the snow out of his mouth from when he had face planted into it. He also tried halfheartedly to get Suzaku’s body off of him. In the struggle to free themselves from each other’s limbs, Lelouch ended up being on his back looking up into Suzaku’s face and despite the slight aches he was feeling, he couldn’t really complain. Suzaku had rosy cheeks and there was snow sticking to curling brown hair…and he looked beautiful…but not going there. He was mad at Suzaku for forcing him into this death trap they call a sled.

“I do believe that you failed in your duties to protect me” Lelouch said starchily.

Suzaku grinned at him. “I do believe you are right in your deduction. I’m terribly sorry sir. Should we try again?”

Lelouch clicked his tongue in annoyance and rolled his eyes. He gave Suzaku a forceful shove (not that it moved him any). “I think not. Also I think you missed a spot…” Lelouch said deviously as he slathered a hand full of snow across Suzaku’s grinning face.

Suzaku laughed and rolled off of him to look up at the stars. “Well at least I got you to try once…You really should try more things Lelouch. You’re too conservative.”

Lelouch let out a chuckle at that. Oh the irony. Conservative was hardly a word to describe him. Radical was probably the more accurate description not that he was going to contradict Suzaku. Nope. Also, at least they were laughing together again and at least Suzaku had willingly _touched_ him again. That was a step in the right direction.

Things continued to progress back to their old friendship and the awkwardness seemed to melt away. Unlike the snow. That didn’t seem to be going anywhere. Which was probably nice for Christmas as that was right around the corner. Nunnally was out shopping with Milly and Sayoko for presents. The boys were not invited as they were shopping for them, so Lelouch and Suzaku decided to bake Christmas cookies to surprise the girls when they got back…It was going horribly. Lelouch forgot how much he sucked at cooking. At least Suzaku was there to try to salvage the situation this year.

Lelouch cussed as he burnt his finger on the cookie sheet. Suzaku scolded him lightly while he held Lelouch’s finger under cold water. The doorbell rang and Lelouch would have gotten it if Suzaku hadn’t demanded he stay right where he was which was standing in front of the sink. As it was Suzaku answered the door and Lelouch pouted in the kitchen. He waited probably 30 seconds before determining that his finger was sufficiently chilled and shut off the water. He still had his back to the kitchen door when Suzaku started entering.

“Who was it?” Lelouch asked as he turned around. His stomach launched itself into his throat as his eyes landed on the prettiest pink haired girl in the world.

“Lelouch…?” Euphemia asked in a whisper.

Lelouch took a step back as his eyes went wide with panic. “Euphie…No…”

“OH MY GOD! It is you!” Euphemia cheered and launched herself at him. The force knocked him on his ass and she went with him. She quickly pushed herself up and cupped his face firmly before peppering him with kisses that were dispersed with overly excited chatter and exclamations.

Lelouch was not enjoying himself. His ass hurt from the impact. His face felt assaulted. His brain was scrambling on how to mitigate the risk to him and Nunnally be having a _damn_ member of the royal family in _their home_. This was _not_ good. He was trying desperately not to dig his claws into her shoulders and trying desperately not to spring cat ears as anxiety clawed through him.

If Suzaku thought that he was shocked before when he saw Euphemia at the door, he was completely shell shocked at this point watching her assault Lelouch with kisses…happy _intimate_ kisses…Something inside of him snapped as a wave of jealousy shot through him, but he wasn’t quite sure who it was more directed at. His sarcastic adorable best friend or his sweet lovable princess.

“Is Nunnally here?” Euphie asked excitedly after she calmed down from her initial storm of excitement.

“No she’s out” Lelouch said in a strained voice. He took a couple deep breaths and tried to push Euphemia off of his lap. She didn’t notice his weak attempt. He wasn’t that strong after all.

“Umm…how do you two know each other?” Suzaku asked in an unsure tone.

“Oh! Lelouch is-“

“An old childhood friend” Lelouch finished Euphemia’s sentence and squeezed her arm in warning. His claws dug in just a tiny bit. Not enough to damage anything. Just enough to tell her to not tell the truth. She gave him a startled look and then nodded.

“Uh…yeah childhood friends!” she chirped happily.

“Oh…” Suzaku responded. His eyes darted between the two people still on the floor…still touching each other… _intimately_.

“Oh Lelouch. I’m so happy to see you again. You have no idea…” Euphemia said fondly and wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

He slowly wrapped his arms around her back in return. “Yeah…” What else could he say? It was nice to see her… It was just not a good thing to see her.

“So Euphemia, you going to introduce us to you friend?” The tall brawny blonde asked in an amused tone. His blue eyes twinkling appreciatively as he eyed up the prettiest guy he had ever seen. Euphemia really knew how to pick the attractive ones. Suzaku, however, had nothing on the black haired man that was currently sprawled out on the ground.

“Oh! Right!” Euphemia scrambled to her feet and held out a delicate hand to Lelouch. He ignored it and stood up gracefully brushing the wrinkles from his clothes. “This is Lelouch. This is Gino and Anya.”

“Pleasure to meet you” Lelouch responded coolly.

“No trust me the _pleasure_ is mine” Gino responded with a wink as he grabbed Lelouch’s elegant hand in a handshake. His smile was warm and charming.

Suzaku did _not_ like it. Nor did he approve of Gino’s advances. He knew all about the tall blonde playboy…and his preference in pretty males. He walked forward and placed himself next to Lelouch with only a slightly threatening glare directed at Gino that went completely ignored. Lelouch was starting to feel extremely awkward with the contact and the twinkling blue eyes. He smiled calmly putting his mask firmly in place as he pulled his hand back. Gino let it go reluctantly. 

Anya stepped forward. Her pastel pink hair bobbing lightly in her ponytail. Her dainty little nose wrinkling as she sniffed the air around Suzaku. “You smell like him” she said in a monotone as she pointed at Lelouch. Both Lelouch and Suzaku looked at her weirdly and then at each other…and then quickly away from each other. Lelouch refused to let himself blush.

Lelouch cleared his throat and turned his attention back to Euphemia. “Can please enlighten me as to how you ended up here? In my house?” His voice was stiff.

Euphemia looked at him nervously. He didn’t look very happy to see her and she didn’t know why. It kind of hurt. “Umm…well there has been a lot of murders of royals in Britannia, so Schneizel thought it would be good if I went into hiding for a while. To be safe from the terrorists. I’m here to attend school as Euphie Stewart since no one has really seen my face that much being a minor and out of the spotlight. Gino and Anya are here to help look out for me…” she rambled quickly. “Lelouch, you’re not happy with me being here are you?”  

Lelouch sighed and grabbed the bridge of his nose. “We need to talk. Alone. Come with me.” Lelouch grabbed her hand, but stopped when Gino and Anya stepped in front of him. He looked back at Euphemia and raised elegant black eyebrows. Suzaku had also taken an awkward step forward…not quite sure what he wanted.

“Um…it’s ok. You guys can wait here” she said warmly. Anya nodded passively and Gino took a step back letting them pass. His eyes trained on the backside of the tall slim elegant man with black hair that had a cute little tushy. He smiled lewdly as he watched. Suzaku’s eyes followed to where he was looking…and he didn’t like it!

Lelouch led Euphemia to his bedroom and leaned against the shut door cradling his head in his hands. “Euphie… It’s dangerous for you to be here. For me and for Nunnally. We were exiled Euphie and we’re presumed dead. If _that man_ finds out that we are alive, he will finish what he started and kill us.”

Euphemia’s lavender purple eyes looked at him with terror. “No one wants you dead Lelouch! I’m sure our father would be happy to have you back. Especially after…well you know…he doesn’t have very many children left…” She reached up gently and pulled his hands away from his face to look at him.

Lelouch sighed for like the hundredth time. “No he wouldn’t. He’s bent on exterminating what I am…what is potentially in Nunnally’s genetics…” And then Lelouch did something he hoped he wouldn’t regret. He let down his mental barriers and let his cat ears out. He trusted Euphemia to still be the sweet and wonderful girl he remembered.

Euphemia squeaked and instantly touched his cat ears. He couldn’t help the flinch he made or the scrunched face. No one touched his ears…except Nunnally on rare occasions, or Suzaku which was actually quite frequent. “Lelouch! You have cat ears!”

“Yes. I’m quite aware. That man is bent on exterminating the race I belong to. He cannot know that we are alive. Euphie he will kill us!” Lelouch was not sugar coating anything. He needed Euphemia to know the seriousness of the matter.

“Oh Lelouch…” Euphemia said sympathetically and wrapped him in a protective hug which he reciprocated. Euphemia was his second favorite sister after all. He loved her like a lot and he was happy to see her again. Just like Nunnally would be when she got home.

Suzaku was pacing. What was taking so long? He had long since given up on the cookies and they were now hanging out in the living room. Gino lounged on the couch. His long legs stretched out comfortably. Anya sat on the other side with her knees pulled up and playing on her phone.

“Dude. I know you’re worried about your little princess, but please quit pacing. You’re making me dizzy just watching you. Your friend Lelouch didn’t seem like the type to try anything inappropriate on her” Gino drawled. “Sit down already.”

Suzaku paused mid pacing. His eyebrows furrowing. Was he worried about Lelouch doing something to Euphemia? No. Why was he so anxious anyways…? He knew why to a certain extent. It was because they seemed so close and now they were together… _alone_ … and it bugged him. He let out a frustrated sigh and plopped down in one of the chairs.

Lelouch and Euphemia were sitting on his bed facing each other and holding hands softly. “Ok. So I get that you are hiding yourself away, but why Ashford Academy?” Lelouch asked.

“Well because Suzaku is attending here and I thought it would be fun to actually be able to hang out with him like a normal person…” Euphemia said simply.

Lelouch tensed slightly and looked away. There was a growing suspicion that he couldn’t ignore. He was a _genius_ after all… “What’s your relationship with Suzaku? Are you two together? Like a couple?”

Euphemia giggled at him. Her bright pink hair bouncing joyfully. “I wish we were… but could you imagine what the world would say? Princess Euphemia and her Eleven Knight. It would be scandalous, but Lelouch he’s such a good kisser…” Euphemia said wistfully and then blushed furiously.

Lelouch felt his inner kitty rear its territorial head and one of his ears twitched angrily. Suzaku was his dammit! Well not really… He took a couple of deep breaths and flopped down on the bed. “Hmm…”

“Besides it doesn’t matter anymore…I think he’s found a new girl… and I’m hoping she goes here. That way I can assess if she is good enough for him” Euphemia said sadly and flopped down next to him.

“Did he tell you anything about her? Maybe I can help” Lelouch volunteered ever the selfless and helpful young man.

“No. He didn’t say anything, but she must be something special. He won’t even kiss me anymore. I think he’s in love…”

And there’s that territorial instinct again…Lelouch had plenty of practice with maintaining his cool and he used every ounce of it right now not to march right out this room to make Suzaku tell him about this mysterious love of his life.

There was a knock on the door and then Suzaku entered the room slowly. Well speak of the devil… Lelouch had instantly pulled back his cat ears the moment he heard the knock and was now propped up on his elbows looking at Suzaku with guarded eyes. Euphemia sat up on the bed and gave him a dazzling sweet smile.

Suzaku looked between them awkwardly. “Umm…just wanted to come make sure everything was ok…”

“Of course it is silly. We were actually just talking about you” Euphemia said cheerfully and winked at him.

Suzaku paled and he looked slightly mortified. Lelouch got a sick pleasure out of it. Suzaku deserved to look mortified. Making out with a princess… Dumbass. He stood up from the bed elegantly. “I’m going to go finish decorating whatever cookies are left for Nunnally…You two can…do _whatever_ it is you do when your alone” he said with a chill to his voice.

It was enough for Suzaku to stare at him with wide eyes and move out of his way. Euphemia watched him with startled eyes. The chill in his voice had shocked her. “Umm… Suzaku. What is your relationship with Lelouch?” she asked hesitantly.

“Uh…he’s my best friend…” Suzaku trailed off.

“Ok. Umm…that’s good… I’m happy he has a friend like you…” she responded still not so sure she had the full picture. She chewed on her lower lip. “Anyways let’s go help him with the cookies alright?”

With the cookies completed and decorated, well the ones that weren’t thoroughly burnt anyways, the group of five headed back into the living room to hangout. Suzaku was still feeling slightly awkward around Lelouch, so he had kept his distance and sat in one of the chairs. What he hadn’t expected was the fact that apparently Gino took it as an invitation to sit _closely_ to Lelouch on the couch. For fucks sakes! Their legs were practically touching! He did not like it. Lelouch didn’t particularly like it either and was scrunching in upon himself as much as possible and leaning the other way…right against Euphemia…Suzaku didn’t like that either. Anya was bored and sitting on one of the chairs playing on her phone.

The conversations were mostly awkward and were pretty much discarded to watch some sappy crappy holiday movie that was playing on TV. Lelouch thanked the lord when he heard Milly’s cheerful voice ringing out in the entry way. He bolted from the couch and headed straight for his beautiful and wonderful little sister. Euphemia too excited at the fact of seeing her baby sister didn’t take it sitting down and was quick on his heels. Which meant that Suzaku was following right behind them because he didn’t like when they were alone together. Gino and Anya figured Euphemia was safe enough and just chilled where they were.

“Nunnally!” Euphemia squealed out excitedly barreling past Lelouch and wrapping her arms around the thin frail girl in the wheel chair.

“Umm…” Nunnally responded in a soft tone. It’s not like she could recognize the beautiful melodic voice or see who it belonged to. Her hands reached up to feel the smooth delicate face that was covered by tears.

“Oh Nunnally! It’s me Euphie” Euphemia said happily and let out a little giggle.

“EUPHIE!” Nunnally said excitedly…and then opened her eyes.

Lelouch stumbled where he was as his eyes locked on the soft violet eyes of his precious sister. Nunnally hadn’t opened her eyes since…well since the assassination of their mother… He almost straight up fainted, but Suzaku caught him before he could hit the floor. As much as he loved being enveloped in the strong arms, he broke free of the hold and ran towards the two girls holding onto each other in a fierce hug. Suzaku stood frozen with his mouth opened in shock.

“Nunnally! You opened your eyes!” Lelouch choked as tears cascaded from his eyes.

Milly was watching with awe, but she was smart enough to realize that this was a moment that shouldn’t be intruded on. She quickly walked over to Suzaku and pulled him out of the entry way by his elbow…he went mostly because his brain had shut down and Milly was pretty damn strong…

It was a good thing too that she had left because a moment later, Lelouch was full blown kitty mode with too many emotions exploding through him…and Nunnally…well Nunnally had sprouted some adorable little fawn brown cat ears herself…

“Lelouch!” Nunnally cried and pulled him into a tight hug. He wrapped his arms around her gently. Euphemia quickly wrapped her arms around both of them protectively.

Sayoko guarded the entry way as the emotional reunion took place. She would not let anyone near her lord and lady when they were vulnerable. She was a very good body guard after all. Eventually the tears and wild emotions calmed down to something gentler and the three siblings just stared at each other. Nunnally ran her hands gently over her brother’s face and cat ears giggling softly. Lelouch in return touched her ears gently with shock. His sweet adorable sister was just like him who would have guessed. Euphemia smiled at them both warmly.

“You’re just as handsome as I thought you were big brother” Nunnally said fondly. “Euphie I can’t believe you’re here! This is the best Christmas present I could have ever imagined.”

Lelouch held his sister’s hand gently. “I’m pretty sure the best Christmas present is seeing your beautiful eyes.”

“I agree with Lelouch” Euphemia said sweetly and gave her a quick peck at the corner of each eye.

“Will you be staying here tonight?” Nunnally asked Euphemia with hopeful eyes. “You can stay with me in my room!”

Euphemia glanced quickly at Lelouch. “Of course she will” he responded firmly. Euphemia hugged him tightly.

“Thank you” she whispered into his neck.

“No. Thank you…” he whispered back.

Sayoko cleared her throat. “I know that this is very overwhelming for the both of you, but I would like to remind you that you have guests. Might I suggest pulling back some of your particular features.”

Lelouch glanced at her and nodded his thanks. “Of course. Thank you for the reminder.” Lelouch looked at Nunnally and she nodded her understanding. She was also advised of the need of secrecy about Euphemia’s actual relation to them.

Suzaku was staring at the door feeling…well feeling weird… Really _weird_. It was quite clear that Euphemia wasn’t some distant childhood friend to the Lamperouge’s, but someone _very_ close. Nunnally had opened her eyes for fucks sakes! That doesn’t just happen!

When the three _friends_ walked into the room he watched them closely, but didn’t say anything not trusting his voice at the moment. He listened with mixed emotions when it was announced that Euphemia was staying there for the night. Gino was offered the couch and Anya was offered the last remaining guest room (there were only five bedrooms in the home and four were already spoken for. Even if CC was off gallivanting somewhere).

Everyone retired for the night and Suzaku found himself awkwardly standing in Nunnally’s room. She had insisted that he was part of her family and she wanted him there as she spent time bonding and basking in the happy glow of her returned sight. He watched as Euphemia placed herself on one side of Nunnally and Lelouch placed himself on the other…and he felt out of _place_ …

“Suzaku don’t just stand there silly. Come join us. There’s plenty of room next to Lelouch” Nunnally said sweetly

Really how could Suzaku argue with that? He proceeded to awkwardly join them on the bed. There was room, but not a lot and he was pressed up closely to Lelouch. He could feel the warm body heat rolling off of the slim man…and he felt _weird_ … The worst part though was when Nunnally excitedly requested Euphemia read a story from the book he had given Lelouch for his birthday. His heart clenched at that because it was _their book_. Their _past_. Euphemia didn’t have a part in that, but there she was reading them a story in that beautiful melodic voice of hers…and he felt _weird_ and jealous and Lelouch was _his_ friend and he _didn’t_ want to share…and…oh god, Lelouch was warm and felt nice pressed against him… and he just wanted to wrap his arms around him… but he didn’t. He sat there quietly listening to the three of them bask in their happiness. He sat there and watched as Nunnally pulled Lelouch’s and Euphemia’s hands in hers until all three of them were clasped together… and then reluctantly let his get pulled in as well.

When the girls finally decided to sleep he was more than relieved to get out of the room. He quickly made his exit and was about to hurry to his own room when he felt Lelouch’s hand on his shoulder.

“Suzaku are you ok? You’re being awfully quiet which definitely isn’t normal for you” Lelouch asked in a soft amused voice with a soft smile on his face.

“Uh…yeah…I’m fine. Just tired” Suzaku averted his eyes from the questioning violet ones probing his face.

“Well if you’re tired, just come sleep in my room. It’s closer…” Lelouch said quietly.

Suzaku’s eyes darted back to his face startled and he saw a quick flash of something in the violet eyes, but it disappeared before he could identify it. He mulled over the offer in his brain trying to find something to say. Did he want to sleep in the same bed as Lelouch? Well he was feeling kind of left out… and Lelouch’s body was warm and comforting…and it didn’t have to mean anything weird… He made a small nod and Lelouch’s smile grew. Lelouch grabbed his hand quickly and pulled him into his room.

Suzaku joined Lelouch on the bed awkwardly. He was laying on his back looking at the ceiling and trying not to let his heart race erratically, but it was _hard_. Lelouch did not help matters when he rolled on his side and snuggled in against him letting out a contented sigh. “Today was a really good day…” he mumbled sleepily and buried his face deeper into Suzaku’s chest. Suzaku was mildly starting to panic and was about to bolt from the room, but Lelouch wrapped an arm around his waist…and then he just kind of melted. He glanced down at the man wrapped around him and noticed the little cat ears poking up out of the black hair and smiled. Lelouch really was adorable.


	9. Chapter 9

Lelouch’s eyes fluttered open as the morning light came through the window. A small smile crept over his face as he inhaled the scent of the man next to him and he snuggled closer. He hadn’t felt this content, this happy, for months. Euphemia had brought such brightness back into his life. Nunnally could see again. Nothing else mattered at the moment to him. Britannia didn’t matter. Schneizel didn’t matter. Japan didn’t matter. The Black Knights didn’t matter. He was overwhelmed with emotions. Overwhelmed with the fact that Suzaku was in his bed and he was warm and he smelled good and he _felt_ good…

He carefully shifted his hips away from where they had been pressed against a muscular thigh. He knew he shouldn’t. He knew it was risky, but Suzaku was a heavy sleeper… His fingers pressed underneath the loose t-shirt that Suzaku was wearing to feel the tight ab muscles and smooth skin. Suzaku didn’t so much as stir as his fingers traced and caressed moving higher on the muscular torso. His other hand moved lower on his own body and rested on the front of his pants. He clenched his mouth shut to hold back any noises that might want to slip out. God having Suzaku in his bed, so vulnerable was _hard_. It was too _hard_ to keep his hands from touching…

When his pinkie and ring finger dipped beneath an elastic waist band of the man next to him, he knew he had taken it too far. Suzaku groaned and made a small stretching motion. Lelouch froze and instantly put on his ‘I’m asleep. Don’t mind me’ mask. Suzaku took a couple minutes to come back to the world and take in his surroundings. He was in Lelouch’s room. In his _bed_. Lelouch’s head was nuzzled up against his chest…and…thin elegant fingers were pressed inside the waist band of his pants… _What!?_ Suzaku bolted to a sitting position and glanced down at Lelouch who was just waking up and scowling up at him.

“Geeze what’s got you so worked up this morning?” Lelouch grumbled as he threw the hand that had been occupied with touching Suzaku over his face to hide the sunlight (maybe the slight blush as well)…His other hand was still a little occupied at the moment.

“Sorry” Suzaku said quickly. “Umm… I’m going to head back to my room and get ready for the day…” Suzaku practically ran from the room.

Lelouch stared at the door with a frown as it closed. He clicked his tongue with annoyance and glared up at the ceiling. Well fuck that didn’t go quite as well as he had hoped… He did get himself into this mess though. He had no choice except to _handle_ it at this point.

When Suzaku was free of the room and had walked a safe distance away, he leaned against the wall and took a couple of deep breaths. That could have ended up being thoroughly embarrassing for the both of them. He made a mental note to never _sleep_ with Lelouch ever again.

“Oh Suzaku! You’re up!” Euphemia said cheerfully. 

Up? Was he _up?_ He glanced down. Nope he was not. _Thank god_. “Hey Euphie…” he mumbled awkwardly.

“I was actually on my way to see Lelouch. Do you know if he’s up yet?”

Suzaku glanced back the way he had come from. Was Lelouch up? Probably. If he said yes, that would mean that he had already been with Lelouch and it was early in the morning. He really didn’t want to go into any weird explanations. “Maybe. I’m not sure…”

“Well let’s go find out” she said cheerfully and grabbed his hand before he could protest.

Suzaku groaned internally. He did not want to see Lelouch right now and especially with Euphemia. She knocked softly on the bedroom door and called out. Lelouch’s eyes shot towards the door in panic. This really was not the time for company… The door knob started to turn.

“No! Don’t come in. I’m changing and I’ll be out in a little bit” Lelouch called out quickly.

“Oh ok! Well when you’re done come to Nunnally’s room ok?” Euphemia called back.

“Yep. Got it” Lelouch responded in a calm and collected voice. Very at odds with how he felt at the moment. 

Suzaku ended up hanging out with Gino and Anya in the kitchen waiting for the other three occupants of the house to make an appearance. He glanced at the kitchen entrance way a couple of times. He was slightly frustrated that the three _friends_ hadn’t made an appearance yet, but he wasn’t about to go find them. There was a little bit of fear in him that Euphemia was going to replace him in their lives. Replace him in _Lelouch’s life_. Lelouch didn’t let people get close, but he had let Suzaku get close and it made him feel _special_. No one had ever treated him the way Lelouch did… and now there was Euphemia… and Lelouch looked at her like she was _special_ … and he didn’t like it even if that made him petty. He also didn’t like Gino asking so many probing questions about Lelouch. He didn’t like that at all…

Lelouch knew that he was wasting the Christmas break from classes. He knew that he should be strategizing and taking action against Britannia, but he just couldn’t find the motivation to do it. He couldn’t seem to tear himself away from the little bubble of happiness that had surrounded him. Nunnally could see and between her and Euphemia the house was filled with their effervescent personalities. Suzaku was still there albeit a little more sullen than usual, but Lelouch could deal with it. He could still pull those dazzling smiles from the tan brunette, so it was ok. The only real annoyance and it really wasn’t that bad was that wherever Euphemia went, she was followed by Gino and Anya. He chose to ignore Gino for the most part. The tall handsome blonde with the strong jaw and strong arms and charming smile was really sometimes too much for Lelouch to process…too noisy…too in his space. Anya was pretty easy to ignore as well since she didn’t say much.

He flopped down one night on his bed with a content sigh.

“Just a question. When are you going to stop playing house?” CC climbed on the bed and hovered over him on her hands and knees.

“Hmm…nice to see you too. It’s been a while since you made an appearance” Lelouch commented dryly.

“Well one of us still had to work…and being in a house with Britannian knights is not my ideal environment. You have noticed it haven’t you? The Black Knights are getting frustrated. Nothing has happened for weeks except for Rolo’s little assignments.”

“I know. Kallen has been bugging me and running interference…” Lelouch let out an annoyed sigh. “I just can’t seem to find the will at the moment.”

“Are you really going to throw everything you’ve worked for away just because your sister can see again? Also, I’ve heard some interesting news about your beloved sister…She is now more at risk than ever before you do realize that don’t you?”

“Yeah…ok…Fine” Lelouch grumbled and pushed CC off of him.

She rolled on her side and watched him with glowing amber eyes. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going scheming. Are you coming with?” Lelouch responded in a bored tone and reached out his hand to her.

She let a little smile tilt on her lips and grabbed the outstretched hand.

Suzaku was talking with Euphemia and Nunnally on the couch when he got the call from Cecile. Gino and Anya had been hovering in another room when they also were notified. Zero and his Black Knights were on the move again. Suzaku growled as he grabbed his jacket to leave. It had been a Christmas miracle that Zero had seemed to disappear for weeks, but now he was back and apparently with a vengeance. He glanced one more time at the house as he left. Lelouch had gone off to town on an errand and Suzaku hoped he was ok and not caught up in the mayhem.

The snow started to dwindle off and it was just cold now. It seemed that the weather only ignited the Black Knights movements. There were multiple times where Suzaku had been cornered or forced to withdraw and he was frustrated. Being at home didn’t help either. Euphemia was still her sweet lovable self, probing him with questions about his love life. Eventually she moved on to trying to steal kisses from time to time. She was an observant woman and she knew there were no other girls in his life that met the romantic criteria. Lelouch had started getting irritable when it was just the three of them. His claws would extend and Suzaku could see fangs from time to time. Euphemia was his princess, but he didn’t like the fact that she was stealing Lelouch away from him. He didn’t like that it appeared that Lelouch would rather not have him there with them. It bugged him and it hurt… Lelouch was his friend. His _best friend_. He didn’t want to lose him. He didn’t want to lose how close they were.

After another night of fighting the Black Knights he was tired, _so tired_ , by the time he stumbled into the Lamperouge household. His _home_. He was tired of feeling isolated from the one person he was closest to. That is why he stumbled into Lelouch’s bedroom that night and collapsed on the bed…an empty bed… Where was Lelouch? Why wasn’t he here?

CC was the first one in his room that night and looked down at the sleeping form on the bed. Lelouch came in a moment later actually looking forward to showering. Of course only to get rid of the sweat on his body. Showers were still obnoxious, but it was needed after an obnoxious day. The green haired girl raised her eyebrow at him and gestured towards the bed. A little smirk playing at her lips. Lelouch stared at the bed with wonder and carefully brushed brunette curls off of a tan forehead.

“So what are you going to do with the sweaty stinky man in your bed?” she asked with amusement.

Lelouch pondered the question. “I’m going to go shower and then I’m going to make him shower. Then I’m going to make him come back to bed and we’re going to sleep.”

“You could just shower together you know?” CC’s eyes twinkled with amusement and then chuckled when Lelouch glared at her. “Just try to not let your hands get so handsy this time…Don’t want to scare him away again…Night.”

“Night…” Lelouch took one last look at the man in the bed and then showered. _Quickly_. It was more of a step in and step out kind of exchange between him and the water. He came back out and stood next to the bed just letting his eyes roam over the prone body. He then nudged him until emerald green eyes looked at him dazedly. “You smell. Go shower and then come back to bed.”

Suzaku’s eyes snapped open and looked at Lelouch…who was standing next to the bed with nothing but a towel on. Still damp from the shower. Water droplets trailed down pale skin that was illuminated by the moonlight. He swallowed and looked away. It took him a moment to process the information and then he stood up and headed to the adjoining bathroom. By the time he came back out, Lelouch was reclining against his headboard fully dressed in pajamas and reading a book. His violet eyes trailed over Suzaku’s towel clad body. With the light on, Suzaku could catch a weird look in them, but it was gone in a flash.

“Are you coming to bed?” Lelouch asked indifferently.

Suzaku blushed. A lot. “I don’t have any pajamas here…”

Lelouch chuckled. “We’re both guys. We have the same equipment. I don’t mind if you sleep in just a towel.”

Suzaku choked and sputtered. This apparently was a very bad idea. A very awkward idea…he really should just leave. He took a step towards the door ready to say his goodnights and flee.

“Wait. There are some clothes on the chair next to the bathroom” Lelouch said quickly. “Please don’t leave…”

The way he said it made Suzaku’s heart clench. Lelouch still wanted him to stay. He still cared. They could still be close… He grabbed the clothes. He put the shirt on first and then put the pants on next. Careful to keep the towel covering him until they were in place.

Lelouch’s eyes never left him. Not that Suzaku would know because he was looking the other way. They didn’t leave him as he walked over to the bed and climbed in. Lelouch realized after a moment that he had stopped breathing and took a deep breath to try and calm himself down, but it was _hard_. He set the book down and shut off the light. They laid in silence on their backs looking up at the ceiling.

“Suzaku. Thanks for staying” Lelouch said quietly and then wove his fingers together with Suzaku’s fingers.

Suzaku felt the strong urge to pull away from the hand hold, but he didn’t. “Anytime…Thanks for letting me stay” he responded just as quietly.

Suzaku had been feeling a little better as of late. At least in the relationship department not in the military one. Euphemia had stopped trying to steal kisses and had pulled away slightly which seemed to make things easier between him and Lelouch. It was nice that things seemed to be getting back to normal…well normalish…kind of… He still felt weird when it came to his best friend… like right now when Lelouch was standing next to Milly and Shirley on the stair landing and he was listening to the ridiculous Valentine’s Day event. 

To sum it up – Lelouch and Shirley were the Valentine Day sweethearts. They each had a heart shaped hat on their head. Shirley was blushing. Lelouch was trying to look nonchalant, but there was a little bit of scowl sneaking through. The person who stole their hat and delivered it to Milly would win a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner for two. It also didn’t matter if a girl stole Shirley’s hat or a guy stole Lelouch’s. Per Milly, everything is fair in love and war.

Back to the reason he felt weird – Gino was grinning like an idiot and winked at him. He would do anything he could to keep Lelouch’s hat out of those large masculine hands. Euphemia had whispered in his ear asking him to help her get Lelouch’s hat… for herself… How the hell could he say no to that!? His sweet cotton candy princess had asked him for a personal favor. Which was to deliver the blue heart shaped hat into her hands… so that she could go on a romantic dinner with his _Lelouch_! Uh. He meant his best friend. Just friends. Completely platonic best friends.

He glanced around and noticed that they weren’t the only one’s gunning for the coveted blue hat based on the whispers and hungry glances. Kallen looked absolutely deadly. It was kind of creepy. Not that he was too worried about her as her health seemed pretty frail and she wouldn’t be too fast… speaking of someone who wasn’t fast… Lelouch was horrible at anything athletic. This was going to be a chaotic nightmare.

Milly gave the Valentine sweethearts a head start. After 15 minutes she blew a whistle and all hell broke loose. Suzaku wasn’t sure what was worse – a battle with the Black Knights or a skirmish with hormone filled teenagers. It really was a tossup. It was kind of interesting that no one had come across Lelouch yet, but he was always good at disappearing. Suzaku knew that well enough. He also knew Lelouch well enough to figure out where he was probably hiding… which he did because well he knew Lelouch.

He opened closet after closet in the farthest building away from the main event. He smiled fondly when his eyes landed on the crouched down figure of Lelouch in the corner of one. Lelouch and closets really did have a close bond after all. Lelouch looked up at him with relieved violet eyes and sighed.

“Are you here for my hat? To save me from the uncontrolled masses?” he asked snarkily.

“Why yes I am” Suzaku gave him a dazzling smile. The one that made Lelouch’s heart go a pitter pattering in his chest.

“Thank god” Lelouch said letting out a deep breath and forcefully shoving it into Suzaku’s hands. He stood up and dusted himself off. “Do not let anyone steal it from you.”

“Of course.” Suzaku trailed his fingers through the black hair to try and sooth the frustrated man.

Lelouch leaned into the touch…and he almost purred…but he didn’t because he had pride and dignity. He was so thoroughly relieved that it was Suzaku that had found him. It was Suzaku that would be taking the hat to Milly. It would be Suzaku who he got to have a _romantic_ dinner with and no he was not going to squeal like a fan girl. Remember he had dignity.

Suzaku dashed off quickly to deliver the hat and Lelouch followed at a leisurely pace. He didn’t have anything left to worry about. He was hatless after all. When he finally made it to the stairs Milly was announcing the victors… Some jockey looking dude had won Shirley’s hat. He didn’t remember the guy’s name and really he didn’t care. Milly then announced that Euphie Stewart had won his hat…and Lelouch felt his heart stop… Apparently he wouldn’t be going to dinner with Suzaku because Suzaku had given his hat _away_ …to _Euphie_. Suzaku had _promised_! He looked through the crowd for the dipshit in order to give him a piece of his mind, but he didn’t spot him anywhere.

Suzaku conveniently stayed out of his sight the rest of the day and Lelouch was _pissed_. Stupid muscular meat head. Did he not understand anything!? Lelouch growled as he got dressed for his supposedly romantic dinner at a fancy restaurant…with his _sister_ … Gwah. Dammit! What a lousy fucking Valentine’s Day. He was so very irritated that his claws ripped through another tie. He chucked it down with the other three he had inadvertently destroyed and then he said fuck it. He would just not wear one.

“Wow. You look like you’re ready to murder someone. Where’s all the love on such a loving holiday?” CC asked only slightly mockingly from where she was perched on his bed eating a box of chocolates.

Lelouch growled and let out a little hiss.

“Woah. You need to calm down. Come here and sit.” CC patted the spot next to her and Lelouch reluctantly sat and rested his face in his hands. “Good boy” she said soothingly and didn’t even flinch when Lelouch glared at her with slit pupils. She slowly started to run her fingers through his hair as she used her other hand to continue eating.

It took a couple of minutes and deep breaths before Lelouch was able to fully reign in the sexually frustrated beast inside of himself.

“Suzaku bailed on you” CC said in a matter of fact tone.

“Suzaku bailed on me” Lelouch agreed and ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “Well whatever. I have 15 minutes before I go pick up my _date_ for our romantic dinner.” He grimaced.

“Do try to enjoy yourself. You won’t be able to spend forever with her after all. Eventually you’ll have to pull the metaphorical trigger.”

Lelouch made noise of agreement and stood up. “How do I look?” he asked sarcastically.

“Like you could knock a princess right off her feet.”

Ok. So Lelouch had to chuckle at that one. Even if it was just a little chuckle. He knew he really should try to enjoy tonight. CC was right. It was getting ever closer to having to pluck the beautiful little flower that was his sister from the world and put her in the glass (metal/concrete/whatever) vase with the rest of the bouquet. However, even though he told himself to enjoy the night, he still felt a sour taste in the back of his mouth. He still had to put on the carefully crafted smile.

Euphemia was observant and she saw the slight bitterness in her older brother. “You don’t want to be here with me?” she asked in a tone that wasn’t asking. It was more like stating a fact as she took a sip of her water.

“Whatever makes you think that?” Lelouch answered in the form of a question and took a bite of his dinner.

“Because you look unhappy. You were expecting Suzaku weren’t you?”

“Why would I expect Suzaku? Just because I willingly gave him the hat and he said he wouldn’t let anyone take it from him? Well I guess you aren’t just anybody though are you?”

“You’re in love with him aren’t you?” Euphemia asked and watched her brother’s face closely as he choked on his water. Even in the dim candlelight she could see the tell tale signs of blushing. She was observant after all.

“I-“ Lelouch cleared his throat. “Suzaku is my best friend. I am very fond of him.”

Euphemia giggled. “You don’t need to hide behind half truths with me Lelouch. I see the way you look at him.”

“I am not quite sure what you mean. I look at him the same way as I look at you or Nunnally. As someone important” Lelouch continued indifferently.

“Hmm…there you are hiding again. It’s not quite the same and you know it. On a side note, I think I finally figured out why I never found Suzaku’s mystery girl because there was no girl… but there is you…” Euphemia trailed off suggestively waggling her eyebrows. She giggled again at her brother’s lack of response and renewed focus on eating.

Ok. So dinner with Euphemia wasn’t the _worst_. It was even _kind of_ fun, but it wasn’t with Suzaku. Which meant that it was mediocre at best. Lelouch walked down the hall of his house with a vengeance and determination. He knocked on the bedroom door and waited momentarily before opening it. Pretty much the second he stopped knocking. 

Suzaku had been lying on the bed looking up at the ceiling…shirtless. Now he was sitting on the bed…shirtless. Lelouch stomped into the bed and sat down. He then proceeded to place the little box he was carrying down.

Suzaku stared at him with wide startled eyes. “Wha-“

Lelouch cut him off. “Suzaku Kururugi you are a complete jack ass. You told me that you wouldn’t let anyone steal the hat. Explain yourself.”

Suzaku’s eyes darted away from his and he chewed on his lower lip causing Lelouch’s gaze to focus on his mouth. “I..uh…Euphie asked and I couldn’t say no…” he replied lamely.

“Why not?” Lelouch said still all angrily like.

“Because she’s my princess Lelouch. I’m honor bound to serve her as a knight…”

“Lame and not an acceptable answer. I’m disappointed in you.” Lelouch reached out and whacked him upside the head.

“Ow! Fuck! What the hell Lelouch?” Suzaku stared at him with wide eyes and rubbed his head. Ok. So it didn’t hurt that bad. Lelouch was pretty damn weak, but still he had never hit him before.

“I don’t like being disappointed” Lelouch grumbled and then opened the box to reveal a piece of cheesecake. “I brought you dessert since you were the actual person to win the hat…” Lelouch trailed off and averted his gaze.

Suzaku stared at his best friend in amazement as the blush spread across the pale skin. “Really? Thanks Lelouch” he said happily.

Lelouch’s violet eyes trailed back to him and focused on the dazzling Suzaku smile. “Anytime. Here’s a fork…” Lelouch mumbled and handed over a fork. “I’m eating some too just to warn you.”

“Of course!” Suzaku said with a mouthful of cheesecake. Lelouch let a little smile flit across his mouth as he took a much more elegant bite of the dessert. Maybe it didn’t have to be a lousy Valentine’s Day after all.


	10. Chapter 10

Suzaku entered the dining room for breakfast humming happily to himself. The snow was practically gone and the birds were back to their morning chirping. He greeted Nunnally and Sayoko as he dished himself up some French toast.

It was almost time to head to class and Lelouch still hadn’t shown up to the table. He frowned thoughtfully at the door to the dining room. He stood up and starting heading for the door.

“Lelouch isn’t here yet. I’m going to go see what is keeping him.”

“Ah…no wait…umm…Lelouch won’t be coming to class today” Nunnally stammered out. Her cheeks dusting pink in the process.

“What? Why? Is he sick?” Suzaku asked hurriedly with concern.

“No…he’s umm… you know…” Nunnally continued to mumble and her cheeks continued to get an adorable shade of pink.

“I don’t understand” Suzaku said confused.

“May I have a word in private Suzaku?” Sayoko spoke up. Suzaku nodded and followed her out of the room. “You do know what Lelouch is correct?” Suzaku nodded again. “Then you know he occasionally has some animalistic urges?” Again he nodded not sure where this was going. “And that the majority of animals get the urge to reproduce at some point…do you see where I’m going with this?”

Suzaku took a moment to let the words sink in and then flushed red. “Oh! Ah..right…ok. I get it” he stammered out in embarrassment. “Is he going to be ok?”

“Yes. He usually just stays in his room when this happens and lets it run its course. He should be fine in a week or so.”

“Oh. Ok good…umm…I should head to school now…” Suzaku really didn’t want to talk about this anymore. It was _mortifying_. He didn’t even want to _think_ about it…but he did all day long…which was in and of itself is _highly_ embarrassing. 

Lelouch was having a hard day. A very _hard_ day. He hated when spring came around and things got hard. He growled into his pillow in frustration. He had already taken things into his own hands _twice_ today. When would this stupidly annoying, frustrating, humiliating, _hard_ time end? God he hated when this happened. It was _degrading_. He was supposed to be above such crude wants…He was born a prince dammit! HE HAD PRIDE DAMMIT! He was already lost in a haze touching himself that he didn’t notice his door being opened.

Gino was worried. He was a good bro after all. Lelouch hardly ever missed class. Well maybe gym class, but that was understandable. Suzaku would only tell him that Lelouch wasn’t feeling well. What the hell did that even mean? Also, every time Gino would ask, Suzaku would blush horribly. It made absolutely no sense. Maybe his little crush on the fair skinned man skewed his concern a little too much, but he was still concerned. That was why at the end of the school day, he made a dash to the Lamperouge residence…Just to take a peek and make sure Lelouch was really alright.

What he saw was not what he was expecting. He was expecting maybe a barfing, snotty or something Lelouch. Definitely not a naked horny Lelouch…touching himself…panting and writhing on the bed…did he mention Lelouch was naked? His pale skin and black hair displayed invitingly on white mussed up sheets…Gino’s own interest twitched in his pants. I mean come on! Lelouch was pleasuring himself and he was _naked_ for crying out loud! Gino slowly entered the room and shut the door softly behind him. He slowly made his way to the side of the bed. His blue eyes scanning over every feature and movement. His own pants feeling a little restrictive at the moment.

“Umm…Lelouch?” Gino asked tentatively. His breath caught in throat when clouded violet eyes snapped open to look at him. “I…umm…I can help if you want…?”

Lelouch stared up at him quietly. His faced flushed a beautiful pink color. His mouth parted invitingly panting for air. His tongue darting out for a moment to lick his lips…and then Gino kind of lost it. He started to tentatively climb onto the bed with the slim man. Lelouch didn’t respond coherently and just let out a little moan when Gino’s hand _accidently_ brushed his side. Gino ended up spooning Lelouch from behind burying his face into the back of Lelouch’s neck breathing in other man’s scent deeply. His hand reached around and Lelouch let him take over with a little whine. Gino groaned into his neck as Lelouch’s ass rubbed against him. His own larger hips moving to meet the movement. He was just in the process of unbuttoning his own pants when the door opened… _again_ …

Suzaku couldn’t stop thinking about it. Thinking about _Lelouch_. It kept invading every thought he had that day and it was driving him _crazy_. He couldn’t take it anymore, so he ditched out of student council early and dashed off back home. He would just crack the door open to take a peek…you know…see if Lelouch needed anything. Food…water…umm…someone to talk to… It was his responsibility as a friend to make sure Lelouch was comfortable.

Which apparently he was… with Gino lying behind him… _touching_ him… _nuzzling_ him… _grinding_ against him. Lelouch’s claws were digging into the sheet and Suzaku could see his fangs through parted lips. **OH HELL NO!** Suzaku was not about to let that dumb blonde jock take advantage of his horny best friend. Nope. Not happening. Not now. _Not ever_. He stormed into the room and slammed the door shut… _loudly_ …enough to draw Gino’s attention. Bright blue eyes shot open with surprise. His mouth fell open gaping at Suzaku…who was _pissed_.

“GET THE FUCK OUT!” Suzaku yelled at him. Beautiful violet eyes that were glazed over looked at him through long black eyelashes.

Gino had stopped grinding. His hand had stopped fuddling with the button of his pants. His other hand had stopped its stroking and he looked into a very furious tan face. “Umm… we’re actually kind of in the middle of something, so maybe you should leave…?” Gino stumbled out a little unsure of himself. He might be bigger than Suzaku, but he had never once been able to win a fight against the tinier man…who was a _very angry_ tiny man at the moment clenching his hands into fists.

“I said get out Gino” Suzaku ground out through clenched teeth. His eyes narrowing and his stance changing just a fraction. He was ready to throw down if necessary to defend his friend’s virtue. A friend that was being relatively quiet watching Suzaku through lidded eyes.

 _Shit!_ Gino knew the warning signs when he saw them. Suzaku was about a second away from beating the living crap out of him. “Fine. Fine. I’m leaving” he said quickly and took his large hands off the man in front of him holding them up in defeat. He quickly scampered out the room and shut the door behind him. Once he was in the safety of the hall, he leaned back against it. Suzaku was such a cock blocker. He took a couple deep breaths. He was hard. Dammit! He’d get Suzaku back for this…he wasn’t sure how...but he would. Stupid uptight prude.

The room was oddly quiet after Gino had left. Suzaku was still fuming and not quite sure what to do with himself. He was having a hard time not looking at Lelouch on the bed. _A really hard time._ Lelouch just looked…beautiful. Flushed. Panting. Needing. Cat ears popping out of silky black hair. _Crap!_ What was Suzaku supposed to do now?

Lelouch couldn’t take it anymore. He needed to find a release. He ached. It was _painful._ Being that he was usually the one to handle everything in his life, he started to handle this particular issue _again_ …but it wasn’t the same…not when Suzaku was there looking at him…like _that_. “Suzaku…please…” Lelouch groaned and buried his face into his pillow thoroughly embarrassed. He wanted Suzaku so bad.

Suzaku was not a thinker. He had never been a _thinker_. He was a _doer_. Once he heard Lelouch’s broken groan, he was already moving towards the bed. His own interest spiked considerably. Whether he particular wanted it to or not. It wasn’t something he couldn’t mentally process…remember he was not a thinker.

Lelouch had flipped onto his back and Suzaku had one knee resting on the bed between pale legs. His hands hovered over the beautiful naked man below him scared to actually touch the beautiful smooth skin. Lelouch groaned again and his hips arched off the bed. That was enough of an incentive for Suzaku to grasp the thin hips firmly. Lelouch’s glazed eyes met his and Suzaku licked his lips reflexively. Lelouch pushed himself off the bed and wrapped his hands around Suzaku’s neck pushing his fingers into curly brown hair as he pulled the stronger man down into a demanding kiss. Suzaku’s brain short circuited. When he finally caught up to what was happening he groaned into the kiss and deepened it. One of his hands slid behind Lelouch’s back and he pulled him closer.

The kiss kept going. Oxygen be damned. Suzaku’s body had already taken control of this unique situation and it was pressing Lelouch into the mattress below him. Lelouch’s legs were wrapped around him and their hips were moving to match each other. The friction enough to get him to full hardness. Eventually despite his best efforts, they had to break mouth contact for air. His lungs demanded it and lungs were part of Suzaku’s body which was in charge of this whole thing after all.

“Suzaku please fuck me” Lelouch asked breathlessly as he clung to the muscular man.

“Whaa!?” Suzaku pushed away a little bit to stare into a serious albeit flushed face. Lelouch was beautiful. He swallowed past the lump in his throat.

“I want you to fuck me” Lelouch repeated.

“I..uh…but…really?” Suzaku stammered out confused.

“Yes.”

“But…uh…we don’t have anything…like-”

Before Suzaku could continue his sentence, Lelouch was already cutting him off. “In the drawer of the nightstand.”

Suzaku’s eyes flow open. What the hell was happening right now? Also, why did Lelouch already have that type of stuff? Did he do this type of thing often? Lelouch’s nimble fingers were already working on the button of his pants…Why was he thinking again?

“Please Suzaku…I need…I just” Lelouch broke off his sentence with a groan and arched his body against Suzaku’s. He wanted Suzaku _so bad_ …Their hard lengths pressed against each other eliciting a quick intake of breath from the stunned brunette.

“Ok..umm…ok…give me a second” Suzaku stammered as he untangled himself from Lelouch. He quickly stripped out of his clothes and acquired the necessary items out of the drawer. He climbed back on the bed and settled between Lelouch’s legs that wrapped around him. “Uh…ok…I…what do I do now?”

Lelouch let out an irritated noise and grabbed the lube away from Suzaku’s numb fingers. Lelouch was annoyed not necessarily at Suzaku, but having to mentally build up enough of his walls to pull his claws back in. Otherwise this would _definitely_ not be possible for him to do. Once his claws receded, he coated his fingers with lube and shoved them inside of himself groaning.

Suzaku watched in fascination as Lelouch stretched himself. His body twitching in response to the sight below him. _Damn_. This was the hottest fucking thing that he had ever seen in his entire life. Speaking of fucking… he swallowed _hard_. This couldn’t actually be happening could it? _Yep._ It was happening. Lelouch had just thrown a condom at his face. Suzaku looked into the impatient face below him and took the hint. Once he was ready, he positioned himself comfortably and grabbed Lelouch’s hips to steady himself. “Umm…ready?”

Lelouch clucked his tongue. “Suzaku I swear to god.”

“Ah…yeah…right ok…” Suzaku mumbled.

A deep groan escaped his throat as he gently pressed in. Lelouch mirrored the groan and grabbed hold of his arms tightly. He could feel claws digging into his flesh, but it paled in comparison to the tight heat that was pulling him deeper in. By the time he was fully sheathed, both of them were breathing heavily and shaking. Suzaku took a moment to catch his breath and then pushed his body away from where it was nestled against Lelouch. He grabbed Lelouch’s slim hips and did a test roll of his own hips. Lelouch groaned as his eyes screwed shut and his claws dug into the mattress below him. _Good_. Oh god it felt so _good_ …Suzaku had to fight his body for some kind of control. Which was hard. Suzaku’s body was usually in charge.

Which was proven when he continued to roll his hips picking up speed and force the longer they went. Lelouch grabbed one of his hands forcefully trying to lace their fingers together. It caused Suzaku to lose balance for a second and the angle was thrown off a little…Which apparently was a _very_ good thing because Lelouch screamed out his name as he exploded all over himself…Suzaku was enraptured with watching Lelouch’s flat stomach get covered with the white substance as his body pulsed tightly around Suzaku making it hard to move…Somehow he managed…and it felt _amazing_ …He groaned in pleasure and pulled those parted gasping lips into a sloppy kiss with too much tongue and teeth. His thrusts started becoming erratic. He was breathing heavily into Lelouch’s mouth and his fingers of one hand were entwined tightly with Lelouch’s pressing into the mattress. His other fingers were digging in tightly to Lelouch’s slim hips moving them to match the thrusts as he climbed towards his own release.

“Uhgnh…Lelouch…” he groaned as his hips stuttered trying desperately to get deeper as he finally orgasmed. He continued to lightly thrust as he rode out his release before finally collapsing on the man below him. He was fucking exhausted.

They laid in silence for a while. Lelouch was being awfully quiet, so Suzaku took a peek at his face. It almost looked like he was asleep. “Lelouch…?”

“Hmm?”

“Um…that was…” Suzaku trailed off. He wasn’t quite sure what to say.

“Amazing…” Lelouch replied with a contented sigh. “Thank you…”

“Yeah…” Suzaku replied softly. “Anytime…” _Wait!?_ What did he just _say!?_ He pulled away out of panic eliciting a hiss from Lelouch as he exited his body.

“Shit! Calm down Suzaku” Lelouch scolded tightly.

“Uh…oops…sorry…” Suzaku apologized weakly. He discarded the condom in the trash can next to the bed and flopped back down next to Lelouch. They laid in silence for a couple more minutes. “Um…Lelouch…?”

“Yes Suzaku?” Lelouch asked in a kind of amused tone.

“If I wouldn’t have walked in on you and Gino, would you have slept with him? Like this?”

“Oh. Yeah that’s right Gino was here earlier wasn’t he…I forgot…and probably. I wasn’t exactly in the best mental state to make decisions” Lelouch replied indifferently.

“Oh…” Suzaku chewed on the inside of his cheek.

“For the record I’m happy that it wasn’t Gino… I’m happy it was you…”

Suzaku’s heart fluttered at the comment and his cheeks flushed. Lelouch saying that made him… _happy_. “For the record I’m also happy that you didn’t… you know… do this with Gino…”

They were quiet again. Lelouch really really really wanted to tell Suzaku that he _lov_ …he cared for him. Like a lot. Like really really really a lot, but for some reason he was feeling extremely shy at the moment.

“Lelouch…?”

“Yes…?” Lelouch let out an amused chuckle.

“Have you ever…um… done that before?”

“You mean have sex?”

“Yeah…”

“No. You were my first…” Lelouch paused for a moment. Wow. That was a _loaded statement_. Suzaku was his first friend. His first confidant. His first real crush. His first rival. The first enemy that he _really_ _really_ didn’t want to be his enemy. His first _lov_ … The first person he had ever had sex with.

“Oh. Cool. Umm… you were my first too…”

Silence once again settled over them as Lelouch started doing that thing that he always did. That thinking thing where his brain went into overdrive processing as much information as it possibly could.

“Hey Lelouch…?”

“Shut up Suzaku…” Lelouch groaned exasperatedly and laughed. He rolled over on top of Suzaku and covered that obnoxious talking mouth with his. It did what it was supposed to do. _It shut Suzaku up_. He was being way too chatty at the moment…and really it wasn’t like he wanted to let this opportunity go. Having Suzaku _naked_ in his bed. Willingly letting Lelouch ravish him. They quickly became distracted and didn’t notice that the door was opening again.

Milly hummed softly to herself as she walked into the Lamperouge house. The maid said that Nunnally was currently taking a bath and that young master Lelouch was resting in his room. She wasn’t sure exactly where Suzaku was, but he was a strange boy after all. Always coming and going. Milly decided that Lelouch would be the person she would talk to then since he was the only one available. She was there to invite them all for dinner.

She didn’t bother knocking on the bedroom door. Mostly because maybe she would get lucky and Lelouch would be in the process of changing. It had happened a couple of times and it was glorious on so many levels. First, uh obviously half naked Lelouch. Second, he would squeak and turn bright red. It was freaking adorable. Third, she was just someone who liked to tease people without mercy.

She was _NOT_ disappointed by what she found this time. A naked Lelouch straddling an equally naked Suzaku devouring each other’s mouths with the smell of sex hanging in the air. It was fucking glorious. To sum it all up Milly Ashford was a world class pervert. She squealed with delight causing the two on the bed to squeak in surprise and rapidly try to cover themselves up.

Milly smiled at them. It wasn’t a sweet smile. It was a predatory smile and they both felt shivers shoot up their spines. Naughty _naughty_ boys. She would have fun punishing them for this.


	11. Chapter 11

The next day Gino had it somewhat worked out how he was going to get back at the prudish brunette. However, when he snuck up behind him and saw the scratches on him, he paused.

“Holy shit Suzaku what happened to you? You look like you were attacked by a cat or something. Did that little gray furball…uh…Arthur do this to you?”

Suzaku froze and tried really really hard not to blush. “Ah Arthur didn’t do it, but I suppose you could say a cat got to me…” he mumbled.

“Wow cats must really hate you…” Gino trailed off. He would let Suzaku off the hook for now.

Suzaku cringed at the comment. Hate? No pretty sure this particular cat person did not hate him. That was probably very far from the truth. Considering how many times they did it last night and once this morning.

Lelouch and Suzaku didn’t really talk about what happened after that week. Mostly because when Lelouch tried to talk about it, Suzaku always made an excuse and a fast dash away from wherever Lelouch was. Which infuriated Lelouch and he would have demanded they talk if CC hadn’t told him to be patient. She also told him to quit thinking with his lower brain and start thinking with the brain in his head on how to get rid of Schneizel. It was a fairly good distraction and he already had somewhat of a plan formed involving the kidnapping of Princess Euphemia. He would try to lure Schneizel out from behind his golden walls.

Gino walked out of the guest house that had been provided to Princess Euphemia and saw the black cars approaching. He frowned. Apparently Euphemia would have to wait for the treats she had gotten for her friends. Like the good knight that he was he waited at attention and greeted Kanon respectfully as he walked up to him.

“Gino my boy. Did you get taller?” Kanon grasped his biceps in greeting.

“Nope. To what do we owe such a visit from the great and mighty Kanon?” Gino asked as he grinned back.

“Euphemia’s older brother was concerned and wanted to check up on her. Take her out to lunch.”

“Oh well she’s not here. She’s at a friend’s house.”

Kanon’s eyes narrowed. “I do believe that you are to remain by her side at all times are you not?”

Gino was a knight, so he did _not_ take a step back. He was trained to look danger in the eye. “I can assure you she is safe enough in this particular house. Anya is with her now and it is where Suzaku Kururugi resides.”

“Oh” Kanon responded. “If the great pilot Kururugi lives there it _must_ be safe. I want the names of these friends she is with and you will take me there. That way I can make my own assessment. Her brother would not be satisfied otherwise.”

“Alright. Follow me. She’s visiting with Lelouch and Nunnally Lamperouge.”

That caused Kanon to stumble in his steps and he grabbed the muscular arm of the blonde. “Come again?” He asked in a startled tone.

“Huh?” Gino looked at him in confusion.

“The names, you dumb blonde. What are their names again?”

“Lelouch and Nunnally Lamperouge…” Gino answered slowly as his eyebrows knit.

Kanon started laughing and clutched his sides. “You have got to be kidding me. She’s pretty close to these _friends_ of hers isn’t she?”

“I suppose…” Gino was really confused at this point. Kanon was acting like a nut. His rose gold hair was bouncing with all the laughter. His blue eyes watering with tears.

Anya was sitting on the steps outside basking in the sunlight instead of hanging out with the three people inside that really were too obsessed with each other when she saw Gino approaching with Kanon. She instantly stood up to attention.

“Hmm…I see you’re doing your job at least slightly better” Kanon said in way of greeting.

“I do try sir” Anya responded with a tilt of her head.

Kanon didn’t waste any more time before walking into the house and following the sound of soft laughter. He burst through the door to the living room with a giant grin. Gino and Anya were on his heels.

“Kanon!” Euphemia stood up quickly and looked at Lelouch who was tensing very visibly.

“Euphemia, my dear!” Kanon gave her a quick peck on the forehead. Kanon’s blue eyes roamed over the tall pale black haired young man and his smile grew into something predatory. “Lelouch darling boy. My have you grown into such a fine young man.”

Gino’s eyes darted between everyone in the room. Kanon who was smiling creepily. Lelouch who was bristling noticeably. His violet eyes narrowing dangerously. He also noticed that Nunnally was gripping the arms of her wheelchair tightly and her soft little lips were thinned tightly. Euphemia’s own eyes were wide with a silent horror.

“You probably don’t remember who I am” Kanon turned his gaze to Nunnally before focusing back on Lelouch.

“I know who you are Kanon” Lelouch said as casually as he could.

“Good. That makes this easier. I’m here to escort Euphemia to lunch with her dear older brother. I am officially requesting that you and your adorable little sister come with. I’m sure Schneizel would love to meet some Euphie’s _friends._ ”

Lelouch’s brain was running wild with scenarios and escape routes and how he could turn this into his own benefit. If Schneizel learns of their existence, then everything would be over. He could not let that happen. He _would not_ let that happen. He had a feeling that Schneizel was more interested in him then Nunnally, so he would just have to play this right.

“I will accompany you, but unfortunately Nunnally cannot. She has not been feeling well today and it is not polite nor proper to request a young lady to leave her home feeling under the weather.” Lelouch squeezed Nunnally’s shoulder slightly and the frail fawn brown haired girl let out a little cough. Lelouch smiled. His sister was as intelligent as she was beautiful.

“Of course” Kanon waved his hand dismissively. “Anya and Gino will stay here to make sure she is looked after. We should head out now. We don’t want to leave Schneizel waiting.”

“Please let me get Nunnally settled into bed first and then we can leave” Lelouch said and didn’t wait for an answer before pushing the wheelchair out of the room. He was joined instantly by Sayoko in the hallway and she took over pushing. “Sayoko get Nunnally away from here to safety. Hide her.”

“Yes master Lelouch” Sayoko nodded.

“Lelouch be careful” Nunnally said softly. “Don’t let Schneizel take you to our father. Come back to me.”

Lelouch bent down and kissed her forehead. “Don’t worry Nunnally. I’ll come back to you.” He quickly darted away and slipped into his super secret lair. CC and Rolo looked up at him as he entered.

“I suppose we’re putting the abduct Princess Euphemia plan into action” CC commented bluntly. The security cameras outside of the residence had picked up the unexpected visitor.

“I would say that is an affirmative. We’re just adding me to the mixture. Mobilize the Black Knights. Trace my location. Once we are in custody, make sure we are held separately. The two of you and Kallen will meet with me and we’ll go from there.”

“Yes your majesty” CC said in that monotone voice of hers and saluted.

Kanon called the driver of the car and they both met them in front of the Lamperouge residence. The pickup for Euphemia was supposed to be discreet, so there were two cars. Kanon, Euphemia and Lelouch climbed into the back of one. Only one guard and a driver with them. Lelouch smiled wickedly in his mind. This was nothing to deter the Black Knights and these little Britannian’s thought they were relatively safe. Their guards were definitely down.

Gino watched the cars drive away with a weird uncertainty. That had been weird. He knew that Euphemia and Lelouch were childhood friends, but the whole encounter had seemed tense with an underlying message. Anya didn’t pay any attention and walked back into the house. She would go spend time with the little cripple girl. She was pleasant to be around. When she walked into the room and saw the little fawn brown cat ears of the distressed girl she frowned slightly. Sayoko instantly stood in front of the girl and Anya could see the little differences in her stance that screamed louder than words that Sayoko was not just a maid.

“You and Lelouch are Nekoti?” Anya asked in a low voice.

“Yes…” Nunnally said in a small voice. “Please don’t tell anyone.”

“I won’t. If Kanon knows what you and Lelouch are, you are not safe here. I’ll distract Gino long enough for you to get away. Wait for the right time and then please leave.”

Nunnally looked at the tiny pink haired girl who met her gaze with reddish pink eyes. “You’re not going to stop us?”

“No. I will not. Believe it or not, I want to help you. Unfortunately there isn’t much I can do for Lelouch anymore” Anya said blandly.

“Thank you” Sayoko nodded her understanding and finished packing a bag for her lady. Nunnally was still confused, but didn’t say anything else.

While they made their escape, the two black completely discreet cars were ambushed. The guards and drivers did their job to protect their passengers meaning only three hostages were taken alive.

Lelouch in his Zero getup was sitting in a hotel room with slimmer/shorter Zero, Kallen and Rolo humming to himself as he held up Kanon’s cell phone and selecting Schneizel’s number.

“Hello Kanon. Where are you?” Schneizel asked in his typical arrogant condescending tone that made Lelouch scowl.

“Unfortunately Kanon and his cargo were taken on a little detour” Lelouch said.

“Hmm… Zero… It’s a pleasure to final speak to each other. Let’s get straight to the point shall we. What do you want from me in order to get Kanon and Euphemia back?”

“Oh so you only want the Princess and your little pet back? You don’t want anything to do with the other person we found with them?” Zero said with a little chuckle. “I thought he might interest you… tall, pale, black hair, violet eyes…”

There was silence on the other line for a moment. “What do you want Zero?”

“You know what I want. I want you out of Japan. I want Britannia out of Japan.”

Schneizel chuckled. “We both know that’s not entirely what you want and not something that I can do. Just tell me what I have to do for you to release the hostages alive and no my death cannot be the answer either.”

“How about a little game. You come find me and we can discuss what I want in person. I’m sure you’ve already tracked the call by now. Feel free to bring your cute little army with you, but when you walk into this hotel, you will only bring six men in with you.”

“This sounds like I have the disadvantage. Why would I willingly walk into a trap? I could just surround you and take it by force.”

“You could, but then I would kill all of your little friends I have with me. You know I have no qualms about killing little royal pests.”

“How do I know they’re not dead already?”

“Please hold a moment…”

“Schneizel. Shit I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-“ Kanon started sputtering.

“Is Lelouch really there Kanon?” Schneizel asked sharply.

“Yeah. Thank god we left Nunnally back at their house. God you should see him Schneizel, he’s beautiful” Kanon said with awe. Lelouch smiled behind the mask. He might just have to let Kanon live for the hell of it. He was kind of a pretty flower anyways.

Zero grabbed the phone back. “Is that enough proof for you or do you want to talk to the Princess as well?”

“Alright Zero I’ll play your game for now…We will be there in 20 minutes. Please do try to be patient.”

“For you Prince Schneizel of course.”

Schneizel glared at the slightly rundown hotel in the slightly rundown neighborhood. The Black Knights were not visible, but that definitely did not mean they weren’t there. He had done the same with his own forces. He walked towards the hotel flanked by soldiers and a couple of personal knights. Like Zero ordered, he only brought six body guards with him when he walked through the front door. The remaining guards stood outside. He was greeted by Zero and a handful of Black Knights.

“Hello Zero” Schneizel nodded his elegant arrogant head ever so slightly.

“Schneizel. Come with me” Zero said.

Schneizel frowned. “You’re not Zero.”

“Zero is whoever he needs to be. Are you coming or not? We can just scratch this whole plan and start blowing each other to bits if you prefer.”

Schneizel made a sneering smile. “Fine. Let’s see what the imposter has to say.” Schneizel followed the not Zero up a flight of stairs into a room with a desk and chairs on either side of it. Not Zero gestured him to sit which he did and crossed his legs resting his clasped hands on his knees. His knights and guards flanked him. Zero took the other seat.

“I suppose you want to see the hostages to prove that they are all in working order?”

Schneizel gave an easy going smile. “Sure. That would be ideal.”

Not Zero made a hand gesture and an adjoining door opened. Kanon was drug in first with wide blue eyes and a gag. His hands bound. Euphemia was brought in next with tears pouring down her face. Her hands were also bound.

“Schneizel! Oh god I’m scared!” she cried and Schneizel stood up reflexively.

“It’s alright Euphemia. I’ll get you out of here” he said calmly.

Lastly, Schneizel watched as the tall elegant thin frame of his baby brother be drug in. The brother he hadn’t seen since he was only 10 years old. A 10 year old with wide frightened violet eyes. Those same eyes were looking at him now. Terrified and unsure. He watched his brother shrug off of the guards and run to him. He didn’t even notice that none of the guards were really trying to stop the boy and then Lelouch was in his arms…and plunging a needle into him…and the frightened face of the boy morphed into one of cool victory.

“Oh well played little brother…” Schneizel said as sleepily as the drug kicked in and he was knocked unconscious.

The next moments happened in a flash. A needle was jabbed into Kanon’s and Euphemia’s arms while the guards that had come with Schneizel were taken care of by Rolo and some Black Knights, but mostly Rolo. He was a fast little kitty cat. Lelouch looked down at the prone figure of his brother and his lips pursed thoughtfully. That had actually gone quite smoothly.

“Thank you for your cooperation young man. Like promised you are free to go now” Zero said calmly. Kallen walked forward and drug the boy from the room. Tamaki, a fellow Black Knight, put up a little bit of a protest to letting the boy go, but was quickly shut up.

They quickly bound and collected the bodies of the Prince, his pet and the Princess and left through a secret tunnel in the basement. Lelouch of course was blindfolded. It wasn’t like the Black Knights could afford to have him know their secrets.

The Britannian military forces were getting squirrely. It had been too long. Schneizel had been gone for 45 minutes, but they had their orders, so they waited. Suzaku was freaking the hell out in his knightmare. These nuts had Euphemia! They were going to kill her and all he could do was sit in this goddamn knightmare and wait for a goddamn order! His only hope was Schneizel and he did have faith in the man, but Zero was unpredictable. Zero was dangerous! And here he was sitting outside of a goddamn hotel waiting. He was silently fuming in the cockpit when Lloyd’s voice came through.

“Suzaku…I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry. The troops are being withdrawn…The Prince and Princess are no longer in that hotel…”

“Lloyd what do you mean?” Suzaku choked on his words as what Lloyd said sunk in.

“Come back to base boy…There are no Black Knights in the area anymore.”

Suzaku felt like the world was crashing down on him and all he could hear was the blood pounding in his ears. He wasn’t even sure how he got back to the base. He was mostly piloting on instinct. He watched the video proclaiming Zero’s victory of no more royal princesses and princes for the Britannian line…then the images filtered by of Schneizel hunched over a desk, his men in the background and Euphemia laying on a bed with a bullet hole through her head.

He stumbled home that night in an almost drunken stupor. Lloyd and Cecile tried to get him to stay there, but he couldn’t. He needed to see Lelouch. He needed to tell him he failed. That their friend Euphemia was dead and he didn’t do anything to stop it! Deep down he wanted Lelouch to hate him to yell at him, but he also wanted Lelouch to hold him. To take the hurt away.

Anya and Gino were waiting at the house and when the door opened they rushed to it. Gino gave him such a sympathetic look and tried to hug him, but he side stepped automatically.

“Where’s Lelouch?” Suzaku said robotically.

“Oh shit dude! You don’t know. Fuck! Lelouch was with them when they were abducted Suzaku. I don’t know what happened to him. We haven’t heard anything. Thank god Nunnally didn’t go with them when they left. She’s gone too though. We don’t know where. Hey Suzaku…Suzaku. Hey!”

Suzaku had stopped listening after he heard that Lelouch had gone with them. The rest of it was white noise and his eyes unfocused. Gino’s arms caught him before he collided with the floor.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the sketchy smut coming up. This was when I first started writing back in the day and it isn't very good, but...I'm lazy so I didn't really try to improve it. Sorry and thanks for continuing to read this story.

Charles zi Britannia was not to be disturbed ever, but despite everyone knowing this, there was still a knock on the door to his private chambers. His dark purple eyes opened lazily and he dismissed his latest consort before listening to the latest news. He listened in annoyance as he learned of Zero’s latest victims. It had been one thing getting rid of his useless children, but Charles had great expectations for Schneizel. How did Schneizel let this happen? What a disappointment. All of them for letting themselves get killed. Disappointing. Zero and his ramble of pests had annoyed him long enough. He would now be forced to deal with the infestation himself. He requested all the information gained thus far and dismissed the knight. He then called for his consort back. Time to start over. Maybe this time he would get more useful children.

Euphemia slowly opened her eyes. Her long pink eyelashes slightly sticking together with dried up tears. Her head hurt, but at least there was the calming stroking of fingers through her hair. She smiled fondly up into the face of her beloved big sister Cornelia. Wait. Hold the phone. She sat up in shock and cupped her sister’s face tilting it from side to side studying every inch.

“Am I dead?” Euphemia asked in an awed voice.

“No. Neither am I. We are in a prison designed by Zero” Cornelia responded softly and smoothed down the bright pink hair. “I’m happy to see you Euphie. I just wish it wasn’t in this hell hole.”

“Why does she get normal clothes?” Clovis whined.

Euphemia looked down at her yellow cashmere sweater and light blue skirt. She still had the necklace with angel wings dangling around her neck.

“Because she is Zero’s favorite after all. Well out of us anyways” Schneizel said dryly as he eased himself to a sitting position. Carefully readjusting Kanon in the process. The other man had been draped on top of him on the bed and was still unconscious. Both of them were dressed in t-shirts and jeans.

Now Euphemia was an observant clever girl and she replayed the information from the abduction. “Schneizel you don’t think? I mean he couldn’t.”

“Oh I do. A little convenient otherwise” Schneizel said as he ran a hand through his blonde hair.

“Are you two going to fill us in on your little secret conversation?” Guinevere said in a bored tone from the couch sipping the champagne that was provided. Now that the family was all back together, Lelouch thought they should celebrate their reunion.

“Yeah I want to know too! Let me in on the secret” Clovis said excitedly.

“No, but Euphemia will request to speak to Zero alone and if I’m right in my deduction, he’ll accept. Well probably” Schneizel said as he laid down pulling Kanon slightly back on top of him, so they could both fit on the bed. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to rest a little longer as my head does hurt quite a bit and Clovis, do shut up. You’re too noisy.”

Kanon let out a little groan and snuggled closer. “Head hurts…” he mumbled.

“I know. Go back to sleep Kanon” Schneizel responded and ran his fingers through the rose gold strands. This was not how he pictured this little war playing out, but at least he had Kanon. At least his siblings weren’t actually dead. At least he knew Lelouch was _alive_ and apparently a clever annoying little shit.

Nunnally felt the delicate fingers threading through her hair and opened her eyes to look into the handsome face of her dear big brother. She pushed herself up to a sitting position and wrapped her thin arms around him tightly as tears sprung from her eyes.

“Oh Lelouch! You’re safe. Thank god!” Nunnally cried out in relief. “When I saw what happened to Euphie…oh god. They killed her…”

“Shh…It’s ok Nunnally. Euphie isn’t dead” Lelouch pulled back a little to hold his sister’s face softly and pet down her anxious kitty ears. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

Lelouch then proceeded to come clean to his angelic little sister. Yes he was ashamed of some of the things he had done and was planning on doing in the future. Nunnally stared at him with wide soft violet eyes as she absorbed the information. She wanted to be mad at him. She really did, but she couldn’t. This was her dear big brother after all. He was doing this for her, for Suzaku, for Nekoti, for the world, and she would support him. Even if it terrified her that people were dying. It was for a better and gentler world. One she knew her brother could deliver.

Lelouch left the room and left Sayoko and Rolo to look after her. They would not be going home to Ashford Academy. Well not anytime soon. He needed to make sure that Britannia still didn’t know about their existence. He needed to make sure that Schneizel didn’t report anything about him or Nunnally.

This left a dilemma for poor little Lelouch though. What the hell was he going to do with Suzaku? He frowned as he walked down the dim hallway. Suzaku would be devastated by Euphemia’s death. Lelouch knew that Suzaku had feelings for her. How could he not? You don’t just kiss someone for an extended period of time without feeling something. Even though it bugged Lelouch to no end that the man he wanted above anyone else had feelings for his sister and he would rather have them not be anywhere near each other, he did feel guilty for essentially forcing Euphemia out of Suzaku’s life. It removed his competition for the brunette’s affection, but it wasn’t like he could do anything about it. Not really.

He was smart enough to realize that he couldn’t just walk back into Suzaku’s life right now. What would he say? Suzaku probably knew by now that Lelouch had gone with Euphemia when she had left Ashford Academy. How could he explain that he had escaped with no harm? Should he confess to Suzaku that Euphemia was still alive? That question led to other questions. It would essentially reveal him as Zero. How else would Lelouch know about what happened to her? Suzaku would probably demand her release and that would throw everything into chaos. Would Suzaku inform the Britannian Military? No. He couldn’t tell Suzaku. It was too risky at this point, but to leave him in such a state of despair was heartbreaking to Lelouch. He really couldn’t take it. He _needed_ to at least hear Suzaku’s voice. Let him know that at least he and Nunnally were ok. It wasn’t the logical decision, but he _had_ to.

“I don’t agree with this decision Lelouch. You shouldn’t be contacting him. It leaves you open to discovery” CC scolded as Lelouch put on a jacket to head out into the night. He would not call from where they were. The risk of the call being tracked may be minimal, but he still wouldn’t take it.

“I appreciate your concern, but this is not open for discussion” Lelouch said calmly as he walked out and shut the door behind him.

CC frowned at the door before turning around and walking back to her temporary room. There was a pizza waiting for her after all. If Lelouch wanted to think with his lower brain, it’s not like she could really stop him without removing it. Men were so irrational sometimes.

Suzaku stared at the ceiling. Ever since that day he had been swinging from extreme bouts of anger to emptiness. Right now it was the emptiness that held him in its grasp. There hadn’t been any orders since that day. There hadn’t been any Black Knight attacks. There had been nothing, but silence. Except right now as his phone was ringing incessantly. He turned his head briefly and glanced at it. The caller was listed as blocked, so he set it back down and looked back up at the ceiling. The call ended and a second later it was ringing again.

Gino popped his head in through the door. “Dude are you going to answer that?” Gino hadn’t received any orders, so he had decided to chill at the Lamperouge residence to keep an eye on Suzaku.

“Nope” Suzaku mumbled.

“May I?” Gino said as he walked over to bed. Suzaku threw the phone to him. He caught it effortlessly. “Suzaku’s phone.”

“Gino? Where’s Suzaku?” Lelouch asked in a startled voice.

“Lelouch!? Is that you?” Gino choked out.

Suzaku bolted up right in the bed and grabbed the phone from the masculine hands. “Lelouch?”

Lelouch let out a relieved breath. “Suzaku. Yeah it’s me.”

“Where the hell are you!? Are you ok? What happened? Where is Nunnally? Why-“

“Suzaku calm down. I’m fine. Nunnally is fine. I’m sorry I couldn’t contact you sooner. What about you? How are you doing?”

“How am I doing? Are you fucking kidding me Lelouch!? Euphie is dead! You’re not here! Why aren’t you here? Dammit Lelouch” Suzaku choked out and started crying.

Gino watched for a second before realizing that he should get the fuck out, so that is what he did. This was not a conversation he should have a part of.

Lelouch sat on the other side of the phone in silence listening to the heartbroken sobs of the man he _lov_ \- cared about a lot. His tail was swinging back and forth in agitation and his claws dug into the hand railing we was using to support himself. His little fang digging into his lower lip.

“Lelouch…why aren’t you saying anything? Why aren’t you here…?” Suzaku asked in a strained voice between sobs.

“I’m so sorry Suzaku…” Lelouch said in a small voice. “I’m so sorry. I can’t come home right now. It’s not safe. I’m sorry for everything…”

“Not safe? Why what’s wrong?”

“I can’t…I’m so sorry. Don’t blame yourself. What happened to Euphie wasn’t your fault. None of this is your fault…” Lelouch started choking on his words as tears started to fall from his eyes. “This is harder than I thought it would be… I’m sorry. You have no idea… I have to go Suzaku. Don’t worry I will fix this. I promise…”

“Lelouch wait! Don’t hang up” Suzaku said quickly and then stared at the phone showing the disconnected notification. “No! Lelouch Dammit!” he yelled at the phone before chucking it across the room. The resulting impact echoed through the quiet room. What the hell was that!? Why did Lelouch hang up on him? He tried to replay the whole conversation in his mind, but it didn’t make any sense. All he knew was Lelouch was _gone_ and he had no way to contact him. He didn’t like it! _At all_.

Suzaku didn’t like a lot of things now days. In fact he hated pretty much everything. His world had crumbled around him and he took out all his fury on the fucking awful Black Knights whenever they met up in skirmishes. The new orders were to flush out the Black Knights by targeting suspected areas. Even though he assumed most of the Eleven targeted areas were innocent, it still got the job done because the Black Knights always came to the rescue. There were also targets on suspected sympathizers like the Chinese Federation and even his own relatives. Not that anyone could locate the head of the Kyoto House. His cousin Kaguya was pretty resourceful and crafty for a 15 year old girl. His emotions were shut off towards her though. If she had aligned herself with a cold blooded murderer like Zero, than he had no choice but to try and capture her. He would _not_ kill her. She was a dumb teenager and he was _not_ like Zero.

He was currently taking out his fury on that damn red knightmare. Surprisingly if he shut everything else out except anger and instinct, he could actually leave more than a few dents in the metal frame. Suzaku let out a cry of anger as he ripped the left arm from the red knightmare. A couple hits later and he had ripped the roof off of the cockpit and that’s when he hesitated. “Kallen…?” he murmured stunned.

It was that moment of hesitation that cost him. His knightmare was hit with a penetrating bolt that let out a pulse frying his systems controls. He watched with angry emerald eyes as the new black knightmare of the terrorists descend. He watched as Zero quickly descended from the open cockpit and reached out to Kallen grasping her hand and pulling her up. He couldn’t even get his cockpit open to try and shoot the bastard. He screamed in fury as he watched Zero and Kallen climb back into the black knightmare’s cockpit. It was then that he saw the quick flash of bright green hair of the pilot and his brain short circuited. He had only ever seen that hair color on one other person. “CC…but…” Now Suzaku wasn’t a thinker, but that didn’t mean his mind wasn’t racing as it tried to process what he had just witnessed.

Zero didn’t let go of Kallen’s hand until they were safely back in their non-disclosed location and he had pulled her into his private room. He left CC to wrap up the rest of the details as he wrapped his arms around one of his closest friends. Kallen returned the fierce hug. She wasn’t stupid. She knew that she had been seconds away from being smashed to smithereens.

“Hey thanks” she mumbled against Zero’s chest where she currently burying her face.

Lelouch took a moment to remove his helmet and throw it away. He then cupped her face and looked into the blue eyes. “That was too close…” he mumbled back and rested his forehead against hers. “Sorry Kallen. It’s my fault. I make you weaker by telling you not to kill him…”

Kallen reached up and ran her hands over his pointed ears and black hair. “It’s not your fault. I understand. He was just stronger today…” She took in the dark circles under the violet eyes and ran her thumbs gently over his cheeks. “When was the last time you slept?”

Lelouch gave her a wry smile. “Ha. Sleep that’s funny. I don’t have time right now. I’ve got to save the world and all that nonsense. The sooner the better for everyone.”

“Lelouch…” Kallen said softly as she ran her fingers through his hair. “You need to sleep…”

He let out a frustrated sigh. “I know, but I can’t. I just can’t seem to shut my brain off from all the thoughts. Too much scheming…”

Kallen leaned forward and gently pressed her lips against his. Lelouch’s eyes widened and he backed away from the touch. “Let me help you take your mind off of things just for a little bit…” She took a step closer to him and wrapped one arm around his lower back holding him to her.

Lelouch placed his hands on her shoulders and tried to maintain the distance. “Kallen. I can’t…it’s not fair to…” Lelouch trailed off and bit his lower lip.

“To who? Suzaku?” Kallen said frustrated. “Come on Lelouch I know you feel responsible for his pain right now and you have feelings for him, but he wants to kill Zero which is you in case you forgot. Also, does he even return your feelings? Did he ever say anything about being more than just friends?”

Lelouch frowned as he thought back to his relationship with Suzaku or lack of. How Suzaku shied away from his advances. How he gave away that goddamn hat on Valentine’s Day. How he refused to talk about them having sex and would _literally_ run away from him. The sex had probably been a fluke of two horny teenagers. He thought about how Suzaku was obsessed with Euphemia. Did Suzaku have any romantic feelings for him? It _really_ didn’t appear like it. Man did that hurt.

“I’m just saying that you shouldn’t be holding out for him. I’m here and I love you. You can use me however you want. For as long as you want…Let me help you…” Kallen said quietly as she pressed her body flush against Lelouch. Her arms snaked around him holding him tightly. One hand buried into silky black strands of hair. Near death experiences can really make a person do and say impulsive things.

 “I…nghf” Lelouch’s words were cut off by a fierce kiss. This time he didn’t pull away and instead buried his gloved fingers into the reddish pink hair. He parted his lips and let out a little groan when he felt Kallen’s tongue caress his. God did it feel good to be kissed so thoroughly. Lelouch kind of liked being dominated, but he would never admit it.

 Kallen gently started backing Lelouch up as she continued to ravish his mouth. Her hands busy on removing that pesky Zero outfit. So many different pieces with clasps and zippers. Lelouch helped in some regards by removing his gloves, but then his own nimble fingers were unclasping and unzipping her red pilot jumpsuit.

His back hit the wall with a soft thud as Kallen’s slightly calloused fingers trailed softly against the smooth skin of his chest. She finally let him breath and moved onto kissing along his jaw as her fingers trailed lower on his torso causing him to shiver. Lelouch let out a low groan as the hot mouth sucked on his neck and confident fingers explored past the unzipped opening of his pants. His hips thrusted forward involuntarily. Kallen smiled against his neck before biting down on the area right below his ear. She felt claws dig into her biceps and returned the favor by tightening the grip of her hand before giving a firm stroke. She relished in the new moan that escaped those thin parted lips. She left one more little bite against Lelouch’s jaw before going back to kiss his heavily breathing mouth.

Lelouch allowed the firm pressing tongue into his mouth as his fingers peeled away the tight red pilot suit. He really tried not to rip it, but you know claws and he was a little distracted. Kallen paused what she was doing with her hands and allowed the suit to be fully removed. She quickly returned the favor removing the rest of the royal purple Zero outfit and then she grasped the thin hips. Lelouch was directed to the bed and when his knees collided with it, he fell backwards on the firm mattress with a soft oomph.

“Kallen…I-“ Lelouch’s words dried up instantly and changed into a little moan as Kallen’s mouth enveloped him. His hips lifted instantly to get deeper. His head was thrown back in pure pleasure. His claws dug into the sheets as his hands formed into clenched fists. _Wow._ Who knew mouths and tongues could feel like that. He definitely didn’t. He had thought about it often enough though and experiencing it was so much better.

There was a wet pop noise and then Kallen was hovering above him on her hands and knees. Lelouch reached up and traced the plump soft lips with his fingers. He was about to say something more when he was thoroughly shut up, except the moan that escaped, by those same lips kissing him and the tight wet heat encompassing his throbbing member. His hands instantly grasped the hips that were slowly moving up and down on him. His hips instantly lifting to match the pace.

Kallen was kind of weird. A little bit anyways and loved the feeling of little claws digging into her. God it was hot. It was also hot listening to the little noises of need escaping the usually composed man beneath her. She had never even dared to think that this would be a reality. She had hoped, but it was _Lelouch_. He was always so unattainable. Really maybe she should thank Suzaku for nearly killing her… Ok. She needed to quit thinking. She needed to do more _doing_. She rolled them over to let Lelouch be on top where he really deserved to be. On top of her. On top of the world. He really was the best after all.

Lelouch let one hand trail up the soft yet strangely muscular torso of the beautiful tough woman beneath him. Kallen was extraordinary…and also breasts…wow they really were as fun to touch as they looked… His thumb skimmed over a pert nipple eliciting a groan from Kallen. Now that was what he wanted. He was being too noisy. She needed to make some noises too or he would just feel ridiculous… He trailed his tongue against her delicate throat before biting down gently. Very gently. He did have fangs and didn’t want to cause lasting damage, but she did make a beautiful noise because of it and clenched down all around him. Arms. Legs. And well _other things_. His thrusts were pretty darn erratic at this point anyways and with _everything_ clenching he couldn’t really hold back. He let out a low growl and buried himself as far as he could before fully coming undone. Black spots exploded behind his eyelids and he collapsed on the warm sweaty body below him.

Kallen let out an oomph of surprise and looked at the beautiful flushed face of the man that literally just passed out. On top of her. He must have been exhausted. Well he was really bad at gym. Physical things were never his strong suit. She pursed her lips and then slightly adjust to pull a blanket over the top of them. Carefully tucking it around the elegant bony shoulders. Next time she would just stay on top.

While Lelouch and Kallen were enjoying themselves, Suzaku was frowning a lot watching through the videos that Zero had released. He was studying the figure of the masked man and listening to the way he talked. He was putting together puzzle pieces in his mind. Pieces he really didn’t want to fit together. His thoughts were interrupted by an order to appear before the Emperor of Britannia. He paled as the order was being given… _Well fuck_.


	13. Chapter 13

“Finally. Thank you for taking care of that particular issue” CC said as she climbed into the other side of the bed.

Kallen looked at the green haired woman stunned. “What are you doing!?”

“I’m going to bed” CC responded blandly and curled up on the other side of Lelouch entangling her legs with theirs and wrapping her arm around Lelouch’s stomach.

“You have got to be shitting me right now. We literally just had sex and are laying here naked and you’re climbing into bed with us. Are completely mental!?” Kallen asked angrily.

“No, but I am tired. Also, do please keep your voice down. He’s finally asleep and I would like to keep it that way.” CC yawned and snuggled closer.

Kallen was feeling that urge again. The violent urge. The one where she wanted to hit something. Preferably the provocative green haired woman dressed in a t-shirt snuggling up to _her_ man. Her _very_ naked man who was drooling ever so slightly on her shoulder. “Get out” Kallen said angrily.

“No. This is my bed to in case you’ve forgotten…” CC said sleepily.

Now that shut Kallen up because it was really CC’s bed from what she understood. The fact that Lelouch and CC shared a bed made Kallen’s eyebrows furrow in thought. Maybe they were really lovers like everyone said they were, but Lelouch didn’t seem to be getting any action. Well not that kind of _action_ anyways… Just action on the battle field…and he did seem awfully tired… _Ah fuck it_. She closed her eyes and tightened her grip on the slim man sandwiched between her and that stupid witch trying to pull him closer to her.

Lelouch woke up the next morning and took in his particular predicament. His face flushed adorably as he tried to detach himself from the limbs ensnaring him to the bed. He felt _dirty_. In more ways than one. He needed a shower and clothes.

Suzaku stood in front of Charles zi Britannia and tried really really hard not to let his nervous shaking show. It’s not every day an Honorary Britannian/Eleven was called to stand in front of the imposingly large dangerous figure of the Emperor. Really it was probably the most terrifying thing he had ever faced. The dark purple eyes were glaring at him with such contempt.

“Suzaku Kururugi” Charles said in a bored tone. “I’ve read some interesting things about you. I’m going to ask you a couple questions and you will answer truthfully is that understood?”

“Yes your majesty” Suzaku said hoping the shake in his voice went unnoticed.

“You spent a lot of time with Princess Euphemia. Correct?”

“Yes your majesty.”

“You are angered by her murder?”

“Very much so your majesty.”

“You want to destroy Zero and Black Knights for what they did to her?”

“Yes your majesty.”

Charles tapped his finger nails on the arm rest of the extremely large chair he was sitting on. “I find it rather odd the reports I’ve read about you being left alive and free after the couple encounters you’ve had with Zero. Why do you think that he is letting you live and run around to cause him more trouble?”

Suzaku frowned. He was starting to have his own suspicions, but he would not be voicing them any time soon. He really didn’t want to believe them. “I am not sure your majesty” he responded carefully.

The dark purple eyes bore into him causing just the tiniest of flinches. “Hmm…well no matter. I’m giving you the order to capture Zero. I don’t care what state he is in, but he must be alive when you bring him to me. I have a hunch that you’re the only one in my military that will be allowed to get close enough to accomplish this task. Do you accept the order?”

Suzaku didn’t have to think about it, not really. “Yes your majesty.”

“Good. You are dismissed don’t come back to me unless you have that vermin with you.”

Suzaku bowed and exited through the heavy doors. 

Lelouch paused in front of the security cameras watching with amusement as his happy little family played _Cards Against Humanity_. Guinevere was thoroughly disgusted by the crass game and her lips were thinned and jaw clenched. Odysseus just looked bored and slightly confused that such a game would exist. Cornelia was fuming every time someone laid anything remotely dirty down because it was ruining her pretty little sister’s innocence. Speaking of little sister, Euphemia was blushing and giggling fully enjoying herself. Clovis was enjoying himself too and was one of the ones responsible for the dirty cards. The main person adding to the inappropriateness was of course Kanon and he was smirking wickedly taking Cornelia’s glares as a grain of salt. Schneizel was his typical annoying arrogant condescending self and was smirking lazily.

“The Princess Euphemia has been adamantly requesting a private conversation with you for a while now…” Ohgi said cautiously to Zero who was standing with folded arms.

Lelouch thought about it for a while. “Fine. Bring her into the meeting room.” He then strode down the hall towards said room.

Schneizel smiled knowingly when Euphemia was escorted out of the room to go speak with _Zero_. Looks like his little conclusion was accurate after all. Lelouch really was an annoying clever little shit, but apparently he could be quite predictable. Schneizel met Kanon’s gaze and the rose gold haired man smiled back just as knowingly. They had multiple private whispered _conversations_ …in the bathroom…the only place they could be alone in this little apartment prison ignoring the disgruntled objections of the other occupants.

Zero was draped casually in a chair when Euphemia was escorted in. He dismissed the guards with an elegant wave of his hands and they shut the door behind them. They weren’t too afraid to leave the delicate princess with their beloved leader after all. She was not threatening in the least and they would stand outside the door just in case.

“You wanted to speak to me?” Zero asked lazily.

Euphemia smiled shyly at him and walked closer. Zero tensed when she was in arms reach of him. “Yes. I wanted to know what you’re up to… _Lelouch_?” she whispered his name at the end.

Lelouch gaped inside of the mask. _What?_ How the hell did she know it was him? The silence was enough confirmation for her though.

“Oh my god! It is you!” she squealed and wrapped her arms around him. Lelouch still stunned let it happen. “Really though what are you planning? Why kidnap all of us?”

Lelouch took a moment to compose himself. _Well shit_. This was an unforeseen problem. He took the helmet off and stared at his sister astounded. “How did you know it was me?”

“Schneizel was the one who hinted at it and then I kind of just took a gamble.”

Lelouch frowned. Damn arrogant clever pain in the ass. “Does anyone else know?”

“No” Euphemia grinned at him and placed a kiss on his cheek. “You’re secret is safe with me as long as you fill me in on all this craziness. Oh I’ll make sure Schneizel keeps his pretty little mouth shut too.”

Lelouch really didn’t have a choice in the matter. Also, it felt good to get some of this off his chest and it felt good to have Euphemia on his side (which she happily did). She was his second favorite after all. By the time they finished talking, Lelouch felt better. He felt lighter and he said goodbye to her with a fond kiss on the forehead. Euphemia was practically skipping when she entered back into the little apartment prison. Her eyes twinkled when she met Schneizel’s and she placed her pointer finger over her lips. He responded with a small tilt of his head in agreement.

Lelouch was humming softly to himself as he sat down in front of his desk and started shuffling through reports and maps. A small smile playing at the corner of his mouth. It even stayed as CC climbed onto his lap straddling him and wrapping her thin arms around the back of his neck and playing with his hair.

“You look more relaxed lately. I’m actually kind of jealous that it is because of other women…” CC said generically as she nipped at his jaw.

Lelouch tilted his head away trying to see the paperwork on his desk which only ended up allowing her more access. “I didn’t know you could get jealous…I am in the process of doing stuff though, so if you could kindly get off” he mumbled.

“Hmm…get off…what a _suggestive_ thing to say Lelouch…” CC murmured against his neck and shifted her hips in a small circular motion.

Lelouch took a sharp intake of air and pulled his head back far enough to study her face. His violet eyes narrowed at the bored look on her thoroughly flushed face. “What are you doing?”

“I’m doing what you ordered your majesty…I’m trying to get off.” CC smirked devilishly and pulled his lip into her mouth sucking gently. Her hips shifted again causing more friction.

Lelouch sucked in a breath and the tiniest of moans escaped him at the scent in the air. Well damn he hadn’t foreseen getting stuck with CC when she was in heat. It had never happened before. “This isn’t funny…” he warned in a slightly breathless voice. His claws already digging into the armrests of his chair.

“Well… it is a little bit…” CC murmured and trailed her thin fingers down the front of him stopping provokingly on the front of his pants and pressing ever so slightly.

Lelouch let out a little noise as his head fell backwards. “This isn’t right… I can’t…”

CC let out a little chuckle. “This begs to differ…” She gave a gentle squeeze. “If this is about Suzaku, well Kallen already shot that argument down. If this is about Kallen, she never did ask you to be exclusive now did she…?”

“CC I…” Lelouch trailed off as slim delicate fingers worked on unzipping his Zero jacket.

“I’m probably only ever going to say this once, so listen carefully Lelouch. Stop thinking with the brain in your head and let your other brain take over…just this once… for me. I need you” CC purred and bit down on his now exposed collar bone. Little fangs dug into his flesh and he let out a little whine. Delicate fingers trailed nonsensical patterns against his torso teasing while soft lips and sharp fangs played sensually against his neck and shoulders.

CC climbed off of his lap and slowly stripped out of her clothes. Lelouch watched with lidded violet eyes as more and more porcelain skin was exposed. CC tilted her head to the side causing her bright green hair to trail against her smooth skin. Her little green cat ears twitched ever so slightly. “Will you join me or not?” she asked calmly extending her delicate hand towards him.

Lelouch let out a little growl and pushed himself off of his chair. He quickly shed his own clothing and intertwined their fingers together letting CC pull him towards the bed. CC dragged Lelouch on top of her and twisted her fingers into his hair before kissing him gently. Her tongue wrapped around his. Her legs wrapped lazily around his and she used her hips to grind against him slowly. Lelouch had himself propped up on his elbows and broke the kiss to trail kisses and nips against her neck before he bit down on her collarbone in retaliation from earlier. A slight metallic taste invaded his mouth.

CC let out a breathless chuckle. “Aren’t you feeling feisty today? I need you to pull your claws back for a moment…” Lelouch gave her a questioning look before taking a deep breath and retracting his claws. “Good boy…” she murmured as she grabbed his hand and directed his fingers in-between her legs. His eyes grew in surprise and he let out a little moan before pressing a couple of fingers in. He nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck as he explored with his fingers. CC arched into the touch and her nails raked gently across his back. “Hmm…you’re doing a very good job Lelouch…” she purred as she wrapped one hand around him and stroked in time with his fingers.

“Are you trying to be condescending or is that just a coincidence?” Lelouch asked breathlessly in a slightly annoyed tone.

“Shh… you don’t get to talk right now.” CC bit his shoulder gently and then licked the irritated skin before kissing him again. She trailed her tongue over his little fangs. He curled his fingers and the tiniest moan poured from her mouth directly into his. She eventually rolled them over until she was the one resting on top. She reached for the condom that she had placed on the nightstand earlier and ripped it open with her teeth. Lelouch let out a little hiss of air as she rolled it on him and then rolled them back over. With an arch of her hips, he slid in with one smooth motion and let out a groan. “Did anyone ever tell you that you get noisy in the throes of sex?” CC smirked ever so slightly. Lelouch gave her a halfhearted glare before sitting up on his knees and grasping her hips. He then proceeded to rock his hips over and over again. His eyes shut with pleasure and his mouth was left slightly parted exposing the little fangs. CC watched him the entire time reveling in his slight facial expressions. He was adorably sexy like this. The feeling of his claws digging into her hips sent pleasurable pain running through her.

Eventually poor athletically challenged Lelouch started running out of steam, so she pulled him down until he was kissing her while desperately trying to breathe at the same time. She then rolled them over and took charge. Lelouch was more than happy to let her dominate and quickly lost himself with a low growl. His claws dug in a little deeper on her hips as her claws dug into his shoulders. Lelouch fell into an exhausted slumber afterwards and CC carefully ran her fingers through his hair over and over petting him.

Eventually his violet eyes fluttered open and he looked up into the amber eyes of the woman spread lazily on top of him. CC placed her forehead gently against his cupping his face softly. “Not to ruin the mood, but you’re going to have to do something about Suzaku. He’s become unstable and is becoming an extremely dangerous threat.”

“I know…” Lelouch said softly and sighed. “I do have a plan though. Let’s get up.”

“Alright. I’ll grab the first aid box, so that we can take care of some of these scratches” CC said nonchalantly with a small up tilt of her lips. Lelouch made a tch noise and stepped into the bathroom for a quick shower. He was sweaty and dirty again.

Lelouch then proceeded to lay out his plan after their next little tryst. It was quite simple really. He would capture Suzaku _alive_.  Similar to the way he had trapped his siblings, but it was Suzaku and he could fight back. He probably would fight back. Zero would offer him a meeting of sorts. One on One. He would come alone just like Zero would come alone. While he used his verbal wits, he would try to get close enough to use the tranquilizer gun (he was an awful shot). He would then throw Suzaku in with the rest of his little bouquet of flowers. Suzaku of course would be the best flower out of the bunch. Another plus or negative depending how you looked at it was that he would finally have nothing to complain about anymore in regards to his pretty pink haired princess. Lelouch should have done this months ago. It would be easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Ha. Right. Lelouch was nervous as fuck as he walked into the deserted shrine. He took a couple of steadying breaths. This was one of the hardest things that he had ever done and he was freaking Zero for crying out loud. He had formed the Black Knights, he had captured his siblings, he had essentially put a choke hold around Britannia’s neck, but this was a whole different level of anxiety for him. This was Suzaku!

He waited and waited because he was way too early. When he saw the angry pilot of the white knightmare enter he clenched his jaw tightly. His fangs cut into his lower lip and his ears twitched (of course he was full blown kitty mode at this point. Like previously said this was one the hardest things he had ever had to do).

“Welcome Suzaku Kururugi” Zero greeted in a calm indifferent tone.

“Take off the helmet” Suzaku ground out and pointed a gun at Zero.

Zero laughed darkly. “I don’t think so. Why don’t we just have another one of our little talks in-“ His words were shut off when a bullet grazed his shoulder.

“Oh. I think so. Helmet off or the next shot will be a little closer to home.”

Ow. Fuck that hurt. Lelouch clutched his shoulder and grimaced. Ok. Now he was _panicking_. He had no doubt that Suzaku would shoot him. Like really _shoot_ him and that was not an option. There was really only one option…and maybe it wouldn’t be _so bad_ …Maybe he could get Suzaku to swing his way finally…At least let him get close enough to shoot him…with a tranquilizer…not an actual gun like Suzaku had done. Asshole. He bit his lip nervously. Well only one way to find out. He slowly reached up and removed his helmet. His cat ears sprung free.

Suzaku made a sarcastic snort. “Lelouch… Goddamn it Lelouch! How could you!?”

“Calm down Suzaku. Let me explain-“

“Let you explain!? Explain what? How you’ve been lying this whole time? How you killed Euphie!?”

“Suzaku listen to me. Euphie is-“

“No you don’t get to say her name!” Suzaku sprang forward, faster than Lelouch could process, and pistol whipped him in the face.

Last thing Lelouch saw were the tears falling from beautiful emerald eyes as he blacked out. Suzaku fell to his knees and just looked at the beautiful face of his supposed best friend. One hand reached out and brushed the black hair out of Lelouch’s face. Why!? He yelled in frustration and then angrily shoved the helmet back on before slinging the unconscious man over his shoulders.


	14. Chapter 14

The next time Lelouch opened his eyes he was staring up into the dark purple of Charles zi Britannia. They were filled with hatred and loathing. He snarled lowly in his throat. A slight shift on his left caused him to glance at the thin toned body of Suzaku who looked uncomfortable. Suzaku was feeling extremely uncomfortable. He had been standing in a room in silence waiting for Lelouch to come back into consciousness with the fucking Emperor of Britannia. Just the three of them. In a room. Alone.

“I would say it’s nice to see you again Lelouch, but we would both know that is a lie. I see you’re still as disgusting as ever…” Charles said with loathing.

Suzaku gave a startled look between the Emperor and the snarling face of the man who was slowly standing up. How did the Emperor know Lelouch?

“Congratulations officer Kururugi. For bringing in Zero I am officially knighting you as one the Knights of the Round. We’ll have an official ceremony later. You are dismissed.”

Suzaku hesitated momentarily looking at Lelouch one more time. “Thank you your majesty.” He then turned and started walking towards the door. That was what he wanted after all. To become a Knight. It would be one step closer to being able to bring peace to the world. Plus Lelouch deserved whatever punishment was bestowed on him… Suzaku had to distance himself from the deceitful person Lelouch had become.

“One last question before you go. The sister. Do you know where she could possibly be?” the Emperor asked casually.

“No! Leave her alone” Lelouch snarled out and growled.

The Emporer chuckled. “Never mind. Leave us now.”

Suzaku stared at Lelouch startled and then looked back at the Emperor. Something wasn’t right. He was furious at Lelouch, but…

“I said leave. That is an order Kururugi” the Emperor said irritated. Suzaku bowed and left feeling torn. He had walked no more than 10 paces before being knocked out and drug away by two other Knights of the Round.

“Well you’ve been an annoying little thorn in my side. Killing all my useful children. Disrupting my empire. I’m going to have to punish you for that. Oh but I won’t kill you right away. No.”

“Go to hell” Lelouch snarled bearing his fangs. Spit flew from his mouth as he took a step closer to the imposing figure in front of him. His tail was all poofy and his claws were fully unsheathed.

Charles let out a dark chuckle. “Oh so much fight in you. I’m going to enjoy stripping it away from you. Taking everything piece by piece. Starting with your precious little Kururugi since he’s so conveniently here.”

Lelouch growled and circled Charles as he took a step forward himself. He wasn’t afraid of this snarling upstart. He was bigger, stronger and had years of sparring under his belt. This snarling thing was a pest. Something to be eradicated.

“Then your precious little rebel army. I’ll stamp them out one by one” Charles sneered. “And when I find that useless crippled little girl I’ll break her bones and throw her into your arms…than I will kill you.”

Lelouch saw red. This man was threatening his pack. His family. His darling wonderful sister. _His man_. The beast inside him roared. He launched himself at the large man, but Charles hand shot out and caught him by the throat. Lelouch claws dug in deep on the arm holding him and he snapped viciously. Charles gave him a disgusted look and threw him. He collided with a wall. His head hit it with a hard thwack.

“Disgusting…” Charles ground out with a scowl on his face.

Lelouch pushed himself up to his hands and knees willing the dazed feeling to leave his head. God. If only he wasn’t so pathetically weak, but he wouldn’t get another chance like this. Another chance to kill Charles. Another chance to protect his family. If he died, they were all in danger. He stood back up and circled again. This time slower. He might not be stronger, but he sure as hell was _smarter_ than this fucking asshole.

“It must really piss you off that I was able to pretty much destroy your entire legacy. In what, about a year?” Lelouch retorted back condescendingly. “If anyone is pathetic, it would be you. Old. Outdated. Slow.”

“You’re an arrogant vermin aren’t you?” Charles said angrily and glared. If looks could kill, Lelouch would be dead. But they can’t, so he’s not.

 “I must get it from my daddy dearest” Lelouch sneered.

Charles couldn’t take that shit. He didn’t want to associate with this beast. He would shut up this rodent and throw the broken creature into a cage where he belonged. Waiting out the rest of his days while Charles destroyed the people he cared about. He shot his arm out with all intention of punching the little shit in the face.

 It was at this moment that Lelouch magically gained some sort of physical prowess and was quick enough to dodge the big brutal fist. He then launched himself at Charles throat instinctively and bit down. His claws digging in deeply to broad shoulders to avoid being thrown off by the bulky man.

Eventually he was thrown off to the floor and he watched as Emperor of Britannia, Charles zi Britannia, choked on his own blood. He was unable to call for assistance past the gurgling as he clutched at his throat. His dark purple eyes were blown in surprise.

Lelouch watched until Charles stopped thrashing and then he slowly stood up. A myriad of emotions started to assault him as the adrenaline wore off. Mostly though it was satisfaction. He really had destroyed the man that had destroyed his life. Justice. He tried to clean his mouth out from the disgusting blood, but gave up. He then picked up his helmet and dusted it off. Took out his phone and snapped a picture. Now it was time for damage control.

“CC” Lelouch said calmly.

“Good to hear from you Lelouch. I see you’re hanging out in the Britannian Embassy. I assume the conversation with Suzaku went well” CC responded just as calmly.

“I guess you could say that. I need the Black Knights to cause a distraction. Also, during this distraction have Rolo use those skills of his and meet up with me. Have him bring a change of clothes. Regular clothes and a first aid kit. Oh and I need Diethard’s media skills. I’ll be sending a photo and video shortly. I need him to make the photo public with a message from Zero. He will then upload the video from Lelouch vi Britannia long lost son of the Emperor next ruler of the Britannian Empire.”

“Done and done. Be careful Lelouch and have fun.”

Lelouch chuckled and disconnected the call. He glanced up at the security cameras in the hall and frowned. Those had to be taken care of… Then Lelouch disappeared into the Embassy. First step was to find a bathroom of any kind. Hopefully with a shower. He was beyond dirty. He was _filthy_ and for the first time in his life a shower sounded fucking wonderful.

While the Black Knights distracted the majority of the Britannian Military, Lelouch luckily found a shower and then Rolo found him. Lelouch gave him instructions to sabotage the surveillance system and dispose of the Zero outfit. He then pulled out his phone. Time to test how much that muscular blonde liked him.

“Hello?” Gino answered the phone.

“Hi Gino. It’s Lelouch. Where are you right now?”

“Lelouch! Where have you been? I’m on my way to the Embassy with Anya. The Black Knights are in the process of attacking it those stupid bastards. It’s not like they are going to get in” Gino ground out angrily.

“Good. I’m in the Embassy and I need you to come to me. Anya can come with.”

Gino stopped mid stride. “What?”

Anya wasn’t even fazed and waited calmly next to the tall blonde.

Lelouch sighed. “Gino. Do you trust me?”

“Yes…” Gino trailed off and started walking again slowly.

“Well then come to the second floor. Take a left at the top of the stairs and I’m in the fifth office on the right.”

“You’re serious aren’t you?”

“Yes. I’ll explain when you get here.” Lelouch disconnected the call and sat calmly in the office chair behind the desk. He crossed his legs and waited. Rolo stood beside the door ready to dispose of any unwanted visitors.

Gino took the stairs two at a time in his haste. Somehow even though Anya had much shorter legs, she stayed right beside him. He didn’t knock before quickly entering the office room. His blue eyes zeroed in on the black haired beauty sitting elegantly in the chair. He took in the bruising on the Lelouch’s face and neck.

“Holy shit. What happened to you? Do you know what’s going on right now? The Emperor was found murdered and it’s chaos out there.”

“Yes. I heard. That’s where you two come in. I’m going to ask you to do something and I need you not to ask any complicated questions. Can you both do that?”

“Yes” Anya responded blandly.

“Uh sure…” Gino looked confused, but it was Lelouch. He kind of had a thing for him.

“Good. Congratulations on finding the long lost prince, Lelouch vi Britannia. Job well done. Now come here and stand on either side of me.”

Anya blinked a couple of times and looked at the young man in the chair and then nodded and stood on his left side. Gino stared dumbfounded with his mouth hanging open.

“What!?” Gino ended up spitting out.

Lelouch sighed. “We can talk later. Right now there is too much chaos and fighting. I would like to end it sooner rather than later to avoid any more casualties. Please come here.” Lelouch gestured with his hand to have Gino come stand by him which he did in a rather dazed manner. “Thank you. Rolo please record now.”

Lelouch then made a pretty little speech about how he was hiding for years from power hungry nobles and how the recent attack on him and the death of the Emperor made him realize that events had gone too far. He was the last surviving son of Charles zi Britannia and would take up the righteous cause of leading the Britannian Empire by becoming the next Emperor. He urged Zero and the Black Knights to fall back if they wanted peace and requested a public meeting with Zero to discuss the terms of the liberation of Area Eleven.

Lelouch had Rolo forward the message to Diethard to put some finishing touches on it. Conveniently there was a TV in this little office, so he turned it on and then they waited.

“So… You’re a prince?” Gino started and studied Lelouch.

“Yes. If anyone asks, you found me at Ashford Academy. Which is the truth.”

“But…How did you get here?”

“You and Anya brought me here of course.”

“Ok… Who’s he?”

“Rolo.”

“Where’d you get the bruises?”

“From the attack on my life.”

“But-“

“Gino. You’re going to have to trust me and go along this story” Lelouch said in what he hoped was a placating tone and patted Gino on the arm reassuringly. Gino swallowed and nodded. “Ah here we go…”

Everyone turned their attention back to the TV and watched Lelouch’s video play. Within moments the Black Knights had retreated. When the Embassy’s chaos turned into relative silence. Lelouch stood up from the chair and strode out the room. Gino and Anya on his heels.

Within a couple of minutes they ran into the brutal looking of Commander Darlton and the respectable looking Guilford. Gino watched in amazement as they both bowed to Lelouch. He all of sudden remembered the one time that he had climbed into bed with Lelouch. He felt a little sick to his stomach at that particular memory because holy shit, he almost slept with royalty.

“Prince Lelouch” Darlton greeted. “How did you get here?”

“I had Gino and Anya escort me. You can both stand. We have a lot of work to do.”

It actually didn’t take a lot of convincing that he was who he said he was. Some of the court and knights had been around long enough to remember the pale dark haired youth with violet eyes. Within the day he was crowned as the Lelouch vi Britannia the 99th Emperor of Britannia. There was a televised event where Zero shook hands with the new Emperor before they walked into a private meeting. No one questioned or noticed that Zero seemed to be slightly shorter/slightly slimmer than he should be. All and all it was going smoothly and within a week the whole world knew about the new Emperor and the plans of removing Britannia’s rule from Japan once it had a stable government in place.

Lelouch had another very big concern besides the founding of Japan’s new governing body. He stared at the brunette prisoner on the other side of the one way mirror with a frown and folded arms. Defiant emerald green looked back at the guard that was bringing him his food. Suzaku still had no fucking clue why he was chilling in a prison cell.


	15. Chapter 15

Suzaku glared at the traitorous guards as they drug him into a windowless room. The only items were a bolted down chair, a desk and laptop. The chair is what they chained him to and then silently left the room. He had no idea how long he sat in silence, but it didn’t matter. At some point the door opened.

Lelouch strode into the room. He met the defiant green eyes dead on, but remained silent. Suzaku didn’t even deign him with an angry greeting. He just glared. Lelouch didn’t take his eyes off the chained man until he was in front of the laptop. He booted it up and hit play on the waiting video. Suzaku’s eyes finally snapped away from him as he watched the videos play. It was the one that had played when Zero announced his murder of the previous Emperor and the one from the long lost prince Lelouch vi Britannia. The videos finished and Lelouch shut the laptop. The noise echoed through the quiet room.

Silence hung in the air and it was deafening.

“So this was your end game? Murder the entire royal family until you were the last one standing to take the throne?” Suzaku ground out in disgust.

“I’m saving the world Suzaku. Bringing peace to unstable Areas. Freeing the world from Britannia’s tyranny” Lelouch countered calmly.

“Spare me your righteous bullshit Lelouch. You’re a liar, a murderer and a power hungry asshole. How’d you do it anyways? How did you kill the Emperor? With your superior intellect or with your lethal claws?”

Lelouch was really starting to lose his cool. It’s not like he expected Suzaku to sing him praises, but to be talked to in such disdain by someone so important to him was really trying his patience. His fangs started to extend as his claws slowly protruded into the soft flesh of his palm. “I ripped his throat out because of you Suzaku! He threatened Nunnally! He threatened you! I had no choice!”

“You always have a choice Lelouch!” Suzaku yelled at him. “In my opinion we just exchanged one Demon Emperor for another! You’ve murdered people for your own personal gains!”

That did it. Lelouch was full blown kitty mode at this point. Ears laid back. Tail poofed to twice its size in distress. Fangs extended fully. Claws tearing into clenched fists. “It’s war Suzaku! People die! It’s what happens when you try to change the world!”

“You murdered Euphie! She was pure and innocent and you mowed her down! If anyone deserves to be the ruler of Britannia, it was her!”

“Is she really all that you care about!?” Lelouch stormed at him. Spit flew from his mouth. His pupils narrowed to angry slits.

“Of course she’s all that I care about! You destroyed her!”

Lelouch gave one last look at the furious man chained to the chair and then turned his back. He walked to the door and rested his hand against the wall next to it. “So you’re loyalties will always remain with her then? After everything?” he asked softly.

“Yes! You didn’t honestly think I would follow you, did you? Why because we had sex? It didn’t mean _anything_! You’re a monster!”

Lelouch’s heart clenched and froze in his chest. He had been called a monster before by some of his more despicable extended family members (ones that were conveniently already disposed of), but it had never hurt like this before. He had never been called a monster by someone that he _lov_ …he…he cared about. It felt like Suzaku had taken a knife, shoved straight into his heart and twisted violently. “I see…” Lelouch said quietly in a chilled tone. “Suzaku Kururugi, former Knight of the Round, you are hereby relieved of your duty. You will remain my prisoner until I see fit to release you. When that point comes you will no longer be allowed on any Britannia government grounds _ever_ again!” He slammed his hand against the wall in frustration, anger and hurt.

While Lelouch was using every ounce of willpower he could manage to pull back the beast inside of himself, Suzaku watched the blood trail down the wall from Lelouch’s open palm. He watched the ears and tail recede. The claws were still present when he opened the door. He motioned two guards inside along with Gino and Anya.

“The prisoner is to remained chained in his prison cell for the remainder of the day without food or water. In the morning his chains may be removed and his normal imprisonment can recommence. Anya, Gino please come with me.” Ok. Maybe he was punishing Suzaku just a little bit, but it was nothing compared to what Suzaku had done to him. Suzaku had been a world class asshole. He hadn’t even given Lelouch a chance to explain anything. Not that Lelouch had really felt like explaining anything to the pig headed man. In a way he had been testing Suzaku. Suffice to say, Suzaku failed miserably.

Suzaku watched the retreating back of the new Emperor of Britannia as he left the windowless room. He didn’t say anything as he didn’t have anything else to add. Lelouch had betrayed him. To an extent that he had never thought possible. He had won Britannia through manipulating and underhanded tactics. _He had killed Euphie_. Wasn’t she his friend (well apparently sister)? _What the hell_? He was evil and Suzaku refused to give him anymore thought. It was _over_. He had no doubt that he would be a prisoner until his last dying breath.  

Gino and Anya trailed after their Emperor. Gino eyed him cautiously. They had heard the yelling if not necessarily the words. Anya looked undisturbed. It’s not like it mattered. Lelouch was her Emperor now and she would do his bidding. Honestly it was quite a relief to have someone that was _like her_ as a ruler. Gave hope to all the kitty cat people out there in the world. Not that any of them would ever know, but she knew and really that’s all she cared about. They escorted him back to his room in silence.

“You are dismissed Anya” Lelouch responded quietly. He was tired, _so tired_.

Gino watched his new Emperor quietly as he removed his formal white jacket. Lelouch was resting his head against one of the four-poster bed pillars and holding it tightly. “Lelouch…?” he voiced tentatively.

 Lelouch took a deep breath and closed the distance between him. His hands fisted into the front of Gino’s shirt and he pulled him down into a demanding kiss. Gino responded instantly by grabbing Lelouch’s thin shoulders firmly. Now it’s not like he didn’t want to kiss Lelouch. He found the man way too freaking attractive, but this kiss was too frantic. Too uncontrolled. Too unstable. He pulled back gently to look down into haunted violet eyes. He also couldn’t help notice the ears sticking out of Lelouch’s head…Wait!? _What!?_ His eyes flew open and he gaped.

Lelouch noted his reaction and touched the top of his head. “Oh. Oops. Sorry…” Lelouch muttered and turned his back. His arms wrapped around himself. “Please don’t tell anyone… I’ve had enough of being called a monster…”

Gino took a moment to compose his fractured thoughts and questions. His eyes still glued to ears laid back and a tail that was curled around one of his legs. The whole hunched and curled posture of Lelouch tugged at his heartstring. It was weak. It was depressing and didn’t matter what his questions were right now. His Emperor needed him. Lelouch _needed_ him. Gino closed the distance between them and wrapped his strong arms gently around the injured creature in front of him. His taller frame encompassing and protecting the shorter thinner man. “Lelouch you are not a monster… You’re a hero. Never forget that” he whispered quietly against the black hair and folded ears.

Lelouch let out a choked sob and turned into the man behind him. His arms wrapping around the other man’s waist like it was a lifeline as he buried his face into the firm chest. Gino responded by holding him tighter and rubbing gentle strokes against Lelouch’s spine.

“Shh…it’s ok…you’re doing a good job so far. The people love you and I’ll protect you” Gino soothed softly. “Tell me what you need. I’m your knight and I’ll do anything for you.”

“Hold me… I just… I just can’t right now…” Lelouch choked out.

It was a request that Gino was more than willing to accept. He had always wanted to hold Lelouch. Now he wasn’t delusional into thinking that it had any real deep meaning at the moment. He knew full well that what was happening was because of what had happened with Suzaku. It was pretty obvious that Lelouch cared deeply if not loved the brunette. Whatever Suzaku had said to Lelouch had broken something inside of him. It was Gino’s responsibility to try and fix it as best as possible. He used his brawny strength to lift the shorter man into his arms. Lelouch squeaked adorably before wrapping his arms around Gino’s neck and his legs around Gino’s waist. It was the last noise that escaped his mouth before Gino covered it with his.

Gino slowly deepened the kiss mapping out the inside of Lelouch’s mouth with his tongue. He noted the sharp fangs and ran his tongue against them delicately. Lelouch moaned into his mouth and tightened his hold on the taller muscular blonde. His brain had completely shut down the moment he had escaped the windowless room. He was now just moving on instinct letting his body and broken soul drive his motivations. Which is probably why as time ticked away and the kissing continued his body became more demanding. He had started arching himself against the man holding him pressing closer. Needing to be closer.

Gino eventually lowered him down gently onto the bed kissing his neck in the process. When Lelouch was resting comfortably on the mattress, his hand trailed lower on Lelouch’s body. His Emperor was hard and needing. He would take care of whatever his Emperor needed. Whatever Lelouch needed. He kissed the other man again gently as he undid his pants. Lelouch gasped for air as Gino’s hand touched him.

“Shh…It’s ok. I’ve got this…” he said soothingly. He gave him one last kiss before his mouth became focused on something else.

Lelouch’s hips arched off the bed into the hot moist cave. A needy moan escaping past his parted lips. Now any other time, he might have been thoroughly embarrassed to be seen in such a state, but really he was past the point of caring. Nothing mattered because Suz-… _no_ …he wasn’t going to think about him… _he was never going to think about him ever again_. Another broken noise escaped him as he continue to lift his hips wanting to go deeper. _Needing to go deeper_.

Gino took what was being given and gave back 10 fold. His own will bent on everything that Lelouch needed at the moment. Nothing else mattered. Britannia didn’t matter. Japan didn’t matter. His duty as a knight didn’t matter. _Suzaku didn’t matter_. Lelouch was the _only_ thing that mattered and he delivered every ounce that he could with his mouth and hands.

Lelouch continued to climb towards the peak of release. His body demanding it. His claws dug into the sheet on the bed shredding it in the process. His head thrown back as he desperately tried to get air back into his lungs. His brain a complete mess of everything and nothing. He gave one last thrust as a low growl escaped him. His body releasing all that it had to offer before he let his body meld boneless back into the mattress. He didn’t say anything as his body tingled with post pleasure and as he curled in on himself again.

Gino picked him up gently and maneuvered him further up on the bed. He pushed the black hair aside and placed a gentle kiss to Lelouch’s temple. “You are not a monster Lelouch…You never have been. You’re strong and you’ll get through this.”

The tears escaped from the violet eyes as Gino climbed into the bed and wrapped his strong arms around him protectively. Lelouch didn’t know how long he laid there in his misery somewhere between conscious and unconscious. At some point he became aware of the fact that Gino was gone and CC was slowly threading her fingers through his hair over and over again. It was soothing and he finally let the world sink away. He didn’t dream anything that night. He was only greeted with darkness.

The next day he woke to find CC curled around him. His kitty traits were still present, so he slowly pulled them back inside of himself. He thought back to the previous night. He should have felt something… _anything_ , but he didn’t. He felt empty. He mechanically got out of bed and dressed himself. He had things to attend to and his mental health was not one of them at the moment.

He spent the rest of the week diligently working as the new Emperor of Britannia finish liberating Japan and get there government up and running. All of his carefully constructed masks were perfectly in place. His kitty cat traits didn’t appear to currently be a threat due to his lack of any emotion. Well unless you count empty as one. There was really only one last thing he needed to accomplish before he could move onto the rest of Britannia’s controlled Areas and that was to deal with his siblings currently under house arrest.

Lelouch sighed quietly as he entered the secret underground base holding his siblings. He was flanked by numerous Britannian knights and numerous Black Knight members. None of which knew that he had been Zero except Kallen. CC walked next to him dressed as Zero.

Lelouch sat down in the chair in another windowless room. Zero stood behind them. The plan was simple he would talk to each of his remaining siblings one on one. If they swore their allegiance to him, they would walk out of here free. If not, they would stay locked up tight. He didn’t plan on killing anyone else without a solid reason. Grudges be damned.

He requested Euphemia first. Mostly due to the fact that he didn’t have to convince her. She was already on his side. Which was proven when she rushed into the room and wrapped her arms around him. He smiled fondly at the pink haired girl and her enthusiastic smile.

“You did it Lelouch! I’m so proud of you. We watched all the news stories. Well not that you gave us much of a choice” she chuckled happily as she continued to smother him in hugs and kisses. His frozen heart thawed just a fraction. Barely noticeable in the grand scheme of things. Her unconditional love was contagious.

“I’m happy you approve of my achievements” he said softly as he stroked her thick wavy hair. “I’m actually here to free you from your entrapment.”

“Really? All of us?”

“Well those of you who decide to back my claim and ideals.”

“Oh I most certainly will.”

“I know you will” Lelouch hesitated for a moment. “On a side note I’m making Anya your personal knight for right now. Also, Suzaku has been relieved of his duties for Britannia.”

“What happened to Suzaku?” Euphie asked in a concern tone.

“He’s currently a prisoner. When you leave here with Anya I’m assigning you the task of releasing him and escorting him off of the Embassy grounds. You are free to visit him as much as you want, but he is not allowed anywhere near the Embassy or Britannia buildings anymore” Lelouch said coldly.

Euphemia studied her brother closely. Concern gracing her delicate soft features. “Lelouch…? What happened?”

He waved his hand dismissively. “It doesn’t matter and I _don’t_ want to talk about it. I just need to know if you will do it or not? There is no wiggle room on this either. Suzaku _will_ be removed either by you or someone else. I never want to _see_ or hear about him ever again.”

Euphie was straight up concerned now looking into the frozen violet eyes of her dear brother. She had never seen him so closed off from the world and that’s saying something. It was Lelouch after all and he had been through a ton of shit in his 18 years of life. There was really only one thing that she could say at the moment though. “Umm…yeah of course.”

They conversed a little while longer before she was dismissed. She gave him one last concerned look before excusing herself. Lelouch asked for Cornelia next hoping that she would go along with whatever Euphie had chosen, which she did. She honestly didn’t care all that much as long as she was free to keep an eye on the most precious person in the world to her which was Euphie if that wasn’t clear.

Next came Clovis who smothered him with hugs…ugh _gross_. Suffice to say Clovis hopped on board. He didn’t care what happened to the Elevens…he meant Japanese… as long he could stay in Britannia and not have to deal with them.

Guinevere and Odysseus were mediocre to deal with. One concerned about getting back to the fineries of the privileged life (husband not really included in that) which Lelouch conceded to let her keep. The other concerned about getting back to his wife and small children which Lelouch had for the most part ignored as they weren’t a threat. He saved what he assumed would be the hardest for last and took a quick break to rebuild his mental stamina.

Schneizel sauntered into the room with a small condescending smile. Lelouch matched it with a fake smile of his own. He proceeded to sit down on the chair opposite of Lelouch studying him closely. Lelouch could feel his claws extending slightly at the tension.

“Schneizel” Lelouch finally broke the silence with a small incline of his head. His jaw clenched tight.

Schneizel’s smile widened slightly. “Emperor Lelouch or should I say Zero. Which would you prefer?”

Lelouch figured that question didn’t deserve an answer. “I’m here to give you an option. Back my claim as Emperor and you walk free. Refuse and you continue your comfy life right here.”

“I must say I am quite impressed with how you maneuvered everything in your favor. I wouldn’t expect any less from my favorite brother.”

Lelouch made a disgusted grimace. His tiny fangs showing slightly.

“Oh no need to get so catty on me little brother. I’ll back your claim. I’ll even go as far to volunteer my services to your cause.”

“Your services _are not_ required, but thanks for the offer.”

Schneizel smiled sweetly at him. He wouldn’t expect anything less from Lelouch. He was quite proud at what his baby brother had accomplished. He also didn’t care if the world fell to hell as long as he could protect those that were important to him. Lelouch fell under that category whether he wanted to admit it or not. Which also means that regardless of what the new Emperor says, he will still be helping him even in the shadows.

“Since you have decided to back me, you are free to leave. Kanon is waiting for you” Lelouch continued and stood up. He didn’t want to drag this verbal sparring match any further than necessary. Schneizel held his hand out all gentlemanly like signaling the need to for a handshake to seal the deal. A refined blonde eyebrow raised in question. Lelouch stared at the hand clearly reluctant to touch it…he finally folded… and then proceeded to wipe his hand on his pants…He hated feeling _dirty_ after all and even though he _hated_ water, he was desperately craving a shower…a long shower. Ok. That’s an exaggeration. He still hated water.

The royal siblings all did their exit interviews backing the new Emperor. Euphie was sweet. Cornelia was indifferent. Clovis was enthusiastic. Guinevere was disdainful. Odysseus was bland. Schneizel was calculating. Even Nunnally participated and was genuine. All in all it _wasn’t_ horrible. Lelouch wasn’t disappointed and was somewhat relieved, but mostly he was just tired.

Lelouch was done for the time being in Japan and had no further reason to stay there, so he headed back to the Britannian palace. In Britannia. Some of his siblings came with him. When they arrived he quickly separated from the rest of them heading to his new room flagged by CC and Gino. He planned to lock himself up in his room for the rest of the night. He at least wanted _one_ night of peace before the chaos of having his entire sibling army out in full force hit. The palace itself was large enough that hopefully he wouldn’t have to see them that often and hopefully some of them would choose to live elsewhere…Like Odysseus, Guinevere and _Schneizel_. _Ick_. Euphie was more than welcome to stay and where Euphie was Cornelia would be. Clovis is a nincompoop, so the chances of him leaving the palace skirts were doubtful. Nunnally of course would stay wherever Lelouch was.

Clovis pranced to his old room. Odysseus did indeed leave to reunite with his family. Guinevere left having no want to spend any more time with her siblings. Their imprisonment was enough quality time to last her a life time. Schneizel unfortunately made himself comfortable in his old room with Kanon. Now that Charles was gone they no longer had to hide their relationship.

Euphie and Cornelia had stayed in Japan and were having Anya lead her to where Suzaku was being held and Cornelia followed. Which meant Guilford followed. He was reluctant to let his princess out of his sight again.

Euphie burst through the door excitedly. “Suzaku!” She threw her arms around the brunette. Her light pink hair assaulting his face and getting into his mouth as he gaped in surprise.

“E-euphie!” Suzaku choked in surprise. His eyes bugged out as he held her at arm’s length. “You’re alive!?”

She giggled at his startled face. “Well of course I am silly!”

Suzaku felt like he was having a mental breakdown as he looked at the excited girl and her older sister, Cornelia, in the doorway. “B-but…Lel…But Zero killed you! Both of you!”

“It was all staged silly. Zero wouldn’t hurt someone without provocation and without a good cause…well not on purpose anyways…” she added thoughtfully.

Suzaku was at a loss for words and his brain fractured into a million pieces…but…Lelouch…Zero…the videos…Oh god… _Lelouch_ …No! No! NO…his stomach twisted violently and he pushed away from her before hurling out the little that he had eaten for lunch. Euphie squeaked in surprise and was at his side in a moment with a concerned face.

“Suzaku?” she asked quietly as she rubbed his back.

“I don’t understand! Why would he…why wouldn’t he…why didn’t he tell me!?” Suzaku choked out as frustrated tears broke from his emerald eyes. NO!

“Shh…It’s ok” Euphie said soothingly. “Suzaku, what happened between you and Lelouch?”

“Euphie! I have to see him! I have to! I can’t…I didn’t mean it!” Suzaku grabbed her arms violently. Cornelia DID NOT approve and ripped his hands off of her precious sister.

“Umm…that’s not an option Suzaku… You’re to be escorted off the grounds effective immediately and you’re not allowed to come back on Britannia restricted grounds…ever” Euphie said in a tiny voice and chewed on her cheek.

“NO!” Suzaku was panicking. Like full blown panicking. This couldn’t be happening! He needed to see Lelouch! “I have to see him! You don’t understand!”

“I think the one who doesn’t understand is you Kururugi. It wasn’t a suggestion. The Emperor ordered it and it will be carried out” Cornelia said scornfully. Suzaku was being a drama queen and she had no patience for it. None.

Suzaku continued to be uncooperative and Cornelia snapped. She knocked him unconscious and threw him over her shoulder. Euphie pouted at her in disapproval. Cornelia shrugged. Did she mention that she was out of patience? Something she didn’t have a lot of to begin with. Cornelia was more than happy to dump the annoying brunette right outside of the gates, but Euphie demanded that they bring him back home to Ashford Academy. A passive Anya followed as it was the job that her Emperor had assigned. They were joined by a reluctant Cornelia and Guilford. Euphie knew that something was extremely off between the two previous best friends and it was her job to try to fix it. Starting with Suzaku because she really felt like Lelouch would push her away…which he definitely would. Plus Suzaku had seemed so very upset. Lelouch had other people around to help him. Suzaku had nobody else. He _needed_ her.


	16. Chapter 16

Lelouch plopped down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. “You two can leave now.”

Gino gave a hesitant glance at the Emperor laying down on the bed before walking out the door. CC lingered a moment by the door before walking over and sitting next to Lelouch on the bed. She reached her delicate hand out, but Lelouch caught her wrist in his hand.

“Not today. Please don’t touch me right now” Lelouch mumbled.

“Alright” CC responded calmly and pulled back her hand. “Do you want me to let you know when Euphemia has dealt with Su-“

“Please don’t. Just don’t” Lelouch cut her off and drug his hand over his face. “I want to be alone. Please leave.”

CC stood up and left the room quietly shutting the door quietly. Lelouch rolled over on his side pulling his knees up to his chest. He took a deep breath and shut his eyes. He fell into a restless sleep. A sleep filled with emerald eyes. Sometimes they were filled with happiness and love. Sometimes they were filled with disgust and hate. Regardless the emerald eyes plagued him.

Euphemia stroked the curly brown hair lovingly. Carefully avoiding the growing lump on the side on his head where Cornelia had given him a gentle tap in order to calm him. Eventually his eyelids slowly opened revealing cloudy emerald eyes.

Suzaku blinked a couple of times and slowly sat up from where he had been laying on the back seat of a car. He looked out of the windows and had to fight a wave of nausea at the moving scenery. Euphemia squeezed his hand soothingly. Suzaku glanced back at her and leaned against the back seat with a defeated sigh and squeezed his eyes shut. “Fuck. Euphie I fucked up so bad.”

“It’s ok. It can’t be that bad right. Why don’t you tell me what happened and let me see if I can help?” Euphemia said softly and rubbed soothing circles on the back of his hand with her thumb.

“I…I said some awful things to Lelouch. He will never forgive me…” Suzaku said in a small voice.

“You don’t know that…I mean you _are Suzaku_. You’re his best friend. He…umm…he cares about you a lot.”

“Really? Have you met him? He can a hold a grudge pretty much indefinitely. I told him it didn’t mean anything…I called him a monster Euphie…” Suzaku said guiltily. There was no way he was going to admit to the ‘it’ being sex. Not to Euphemia. Not to anybody. What he said had been a lie though. It meant…a lot to him.

Cornelia snorted from the front seat. “You are a complete idiot. You’re right he will never forgive you for calling him a monster…You don’t know much about his childhood do you?”

“Not a lot from before he came to live at the Kururugi Shrine…”

“Hmph. You’re a moron” Cornelia said scornfully. She didn’t go into any further details. It’s not like she could. Who knew if Suzaku knew about Lelouch being a Nekoti. Not many people did. Euphemia probably didn’t. She only knew because she had been there that day when Lelouch was deemed a monster and had gone full out kitten mode defending his mother and sister.

“Well it’s not like we can do anything about it tonight. Try not to worry right now ok?” Euphemia said sweetly and rubbed his arm gently.

They pulled up to the Lamperouge house on the Ashford Academy grounds. Suzaku stared at it feeling lost. He didn’t want to be here. It wasn’t the same without Lelouch and Nunnally. He felt like he was trespassing and was out of place in the nicely decorated home. It was quiet. Too quiet. Euphemia and Cornelia took Nunnally’s old room for night. Guilford took the spare guest room…a little reluctantly…he was hoping Cornelia would have joined him. It had been like forever since they had spent time together alone. Anya hopped into CC’s old room. No one touched Lelouch’s room. It just felt somewhat taboo. Although Suzaku did pause in front of it with a sad frown. He reached out and held the door handle hesitantly. This was _his_ Lelouch’s room. His adorable and sharp tongued friend. The room he had lost his virginity in. He blinked a couple of tears back and released the door handle quickly fleeing to the safety of his own room. How the fuck was he supposed to fix this? He couldn’t live the rest of his life without seeing Lelouch. Without talking to Lelouch. Without _holding_ Lelouch.

The next day Suzaku woke up to an empty house. His brows furrowed with confusion. Not sure what to do with himself, he plopped down on the couch and turned on the TV. It plagued him with news reports of the new Emperor of Britannia. He tried to listen to what the reporters were saying, but the voices turned into a dull buzz in his brain. Instead all he could seem to focus on was image after image of the beautiful man with pale skin, black hair and confident violet eyes. Thin lips were formed into a pleasant confident smirk that Suzaku knew was forced. God how he already missed that genuine smile. Those soft loving eyes. He kept telling himself to just shut the TV off, but like many other times in his life, his brain wasn’t in charge. His body was and it was numb and glued to the spot.

“Oh good! You’re awake Suzaku!” Euphemia said cheerfully as she came into the living room trailed by Anya, Shirley, Milly and Nina.

Suzaku blinked a couple of times looking at them before it finally sunk in. He forced a smile to his face and greeted them politely. “Hey. It’s nice to see you all again.”

Milly grinned at him widely and plopped down next to him. She pulled him into a bone crushing hug. “I’m so jealous Suzaku! Did you know Lelouch was a prince when you hooked up with him? God to have bagged a prince. You’re so lucky” Milly said dreamily.

“WAIT! What!?” Euphemia said startled. “Suzaku Kururugi did you have sex with my brother?” she added in an accusatory voice and glared at him as she placed her hands on her hips.

Suzaku flushed red and tried to detangle himself from Milly’s arms stammering nonsensical words.

“Oh don’t be shy” Milly laughed. “I walked in on Lelouch devouring his mouth. They were both naked. It was glorious…”

Shirley flushed red and felt incredibly jealous. Also, she was really sad. If Lelouch had been almost unattainable before, he was now completely unattainable being the Emperor… and the fact that he had _slept_ with Suzaku, well that just really sucked. What did this brunette have that she didn’t? Well besides a muscular flat chest, muscular arms and a… well that _thing_ that boys had…Wait… did that mean that Lelouch had…had stuck his _thing_ into Suzaku…and where? Oh my goodness! Shirley almost fainted on the spot as her brain made up images of the two men.

Nina again didn’t care what two men did or didn’t do. She had more important things to think about like super smart people things.

“Suzaku! You answer the question right now! Did you have sex with Lelouch?” Euphemia glared at the tan brunette.

“Uh…yes…?” Suzaku said unsure. Euphemia looked like a vengeful angel at that very moment and it was terrifying and he had fought in numerous battles.

“SUZAKU! How could you sleep with him and then say mean things to him?” Euphemia said furiously before grabbing the front of his shirt and shaking him roughly. “He’s like really sensitive you know?”

“You said mean things to Lulu?” Shirley said with a little anger in her voice. How dare he say mean things to her Lelouch who was one of the kindest most wonderfulest men in the whole world?

Milly’s arms tightened their hold to a painful degree. “You weren’t mean to our precious Lelouch were you?” Milly asked carefully.

Suzaku went from blushing to paling in record time as he was glared at by three very accusatory sets of eyes. Anya was busy playing on her phone. Nina wasn’t looking at him occupying herself at watching the vengeful angels instead.

“It’s not that simple!” Suzaku said in a panicked voice trying to defend himself. “I thought that he had killed Euphie and I was angry and felt betrayed.”

“Wait why would you think Lelouch killed Euphie? Zero was the one who put that fake picture out…” Milly said thoughtfully.

“Ahhh… What he means is…umm… Lelouch was with me when I was abducted and he wasn’t able to do anything to protect me… so …. Ah Suzaku was confused and blamed Lelouch for it” Euphemia said quickly as her face paled. She gave Suzaku a panicked look.

“Yeah…that’s what I meant…” Suzaku agreed quickly with what Euphemia had said.

“Oh. That makes sense” Milly released her death grip on Suzaku and gave him a scolding look. “Still doesn’t mean you should have been mean to him. I mean you’ve seen him naked. You know there’s nothing to him but skin and bones… Oh but god is he still beautiful enough to sleep with…”

“You should apologize to Lulu” Shirley added with a bossy look towards him.

“I would if I could get close enough to him ever again…” Suzaku said dejectedly and threw his head back on the couch to look at the ceiling.

“What do you mean?” Milly asked.

“Emperor Lelouch has forbidden Suzaku Kururugi from setting foot on any Britannian compound which makes it impossible for him to get close anymore” Anya piped up dryly from where she was sitting on a chair.

“Well that’s not acceptable…” Milly said thoughtfully and scratched her chin. “Can’t you two just sneak him in?”

“No. I obey my Emperor and do what he tells me to.” Anya didn’t even look up from her phone.

“Anya, can you go…umm… get my green cardigan from my room? I’m a little chilly” Euphemia asked sweetly. Anya stood up and left the room. “That’s what we’re going to have to do. We are going to have to sneak Suzaku back in, but I’m not sure how to keep him off of the cameras…” Euphemia said quietly and chewed on her lips.

“I can hack into the surveillance system and knock it down for a while” Nina said nonchalantly. Euphemia looked at her shocked before squealing and pulling the short slim girl with frazzly braids into a tight hug. Nina almost passed out when giant boobs assaulted her. Euphemia cupped her face and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She swallowed and blushed. She would do anything for this pink haired angel.

They started hatching their get Suzaku and Lelouch back together (Shirley didn’t want them together…but if it made Lulu happy…well then it was worth it) plan until Anya came back and informed Euphemia she couldn’t find a green cardigan. Suzaku listened quietly and _hopefully_. He needed to get his friend back.

Lelouch listened quietly as the delegation discussed possible ways to instill a new president or something or other to run Japan’s new government. The delegation was made up of himself, Schneizel (the arrogant bastard convinced him that he knew more about the intricacies of government and promised to be on his best behavior), Empress Tianzi from the Chinese Federation with her personal guard Xingke, Kaguya from the Kyoto House, Tohdoh, Ohgi, Kallen and a couple other members of said factions.

Really Lelouch was slightly astonished that the majority of people in the room seemed to be under the age of 30. Especially Tianzi and Kaguya. Now those were some interesting teenage girls that could hold their own in politics. He had to give them props…However even though he gave them props…Kaguya was always a little scary. First with her obsession on being Zero’s wife and now that Zero had disappeared from the public eye, it seemed her obsessive love was being directed to him… He tried not to shift uncomfortably under the heated look she was giving him… For christ’s sakes she was 15! There was no way he was touching that. Nope. No way. Not even if he was only three years older than her…and she was cute with her pale skin, black hair and bright green eyes…It still felt wrong. _Nope._ Not happening. Plus he really wasn’t looking for anything in the relationship department right now. Maybe just a quick lay…he glanced at Kallen briefly.

Kaguya couldn’t help but stare at the new Emperor. There was just something about him. He was _beautiful_ and the way that he carried himself. _Gwah_. She was enchanted. Plus in her mind what better way to solidify the new goodwill between the two empires. They would make such beautiful babies together… She gave him another loving glance (Lelouch shivered imperceptibly) before focusing her attention back to the topic at hand.

Empress Tianzi wasn’t sure what she felt about the new Emperor. He did seem to be cut from a different cloth then the previous Emperor, but still. Who knows if the same wicked blood ran through his veins? Her people had suffered enough at the hands of the Britannian Empire and she wasn’t just talking about her Chinese subjects. No she was talking about her almost extinct persecuted people. Tiny claws dug into the folds of her beautiful decorated dress. Her little itty bitty fangs clenched together determinedly. She was an Empress and she would act like one. She was not afraid of this charismatic beautiful man across the table. Xingke gave his tiny white haired, red eyed Empress a glance of approval. She gave a tiny smile back to the tall muscular man with long beautiful black hair.

After the meeting, Lelouch invited Kallen to visit with him for a while. They were old school friends after all. It wasn’t weird. Naoto, Kallen’s brother, gave him a suspicious look not quite sure it was appropriate for the Emperor of Britannia to ask his sister for a private meeting. Kallen followed Lelouch, CC and his guards awkwardly. She hadn’t been able to spend any time alone with Lelouch for like ever. She bit her lip nervously.

Lelouch dismissed the guards and then there were three. CC gave them one last glance before leaving. “Have fun you two and don’t forget to be safe.”

Kallen blushed and glanced at Lelouch. He smiled back sweetly and gestured her into his room. She walked in and before she could worry about anything else concerning what Lelouch wanted to talk about, his arms were wrapped around her stomach and her back was pressed against his chest. She let out a little squeak as he kissed her neck.

“Is this ok?” Lelouch asked in almost a whisper resting his chin on her shoulder.

Kallen let out a little chuckle. “Yeah…” she responded and intertwined her fingers with hers. She let out a little moan and shifted her hips when Lelouch bit down on her shoulder through the black fabric of the Black Knight outfit she was wearing. His fingers moved to push up underneath the black jacket. She could feel his growing excitement behind her as he continued to nip and kiss her neck. Her head fell back against his shoulder and she panted slightly. It had been too long since they had touched each other.

Lelouch pulled away after a moment and walked over to sit down in his desk chair.

“W-what are you doing?” Kallen asked breathlessly. Lelouch smirked wickedly and let out a little wicked chuckle. Her blue eyes narrowed slightly.

“I like looking at you” Lelouch started and crossed his legs resting his hands comfortably on the arm rests. “However, there are too many clothes in the way…Please remove them.”

Kallen flushed and glared at him. “You can’t be serious? You want to watch me undress?”

“Yes. I do” Lelouch said casually and flicked his wrist gesturing her to continue.

“That’s…that’s just perverted Lelouch” Kallen stammered and averted her eyes only to be drawn back in by the little chuckle.

“Please?”

Kallen thought about it for a moment and then swallowed. “Fine, but this whole Emperor thing is giving you a nasty power trip…” she grumbled as she started to remove the jacket. Once it was gone she started with the yellow corset tank she was wearing. From time to time her eyes darted back to Lelouch. He was watching her closely with desire filled violet eyes. She flushed even deeper when another chuckle escaped his wonderful mouth.

“That’s the bra I picked out for you during Milly’s punishment” Lelouch said in an amused voice.

“Yeah. So what?” Kallen said petulantly. Her arms came up to cover herself self-consciously.

 “Leave it on” Lelouch ordered in a low tone. “Are you wearing the little panties that came with it?”

“Yeah…” Kallen mumbled.

“Good. Leave those on too and your black stockings. Those can stay too.”

“Wow you really have turned into a pervert haven’t you?” Kallen finished removing her shorts and then stood looking at Lelouch with her hands on her hips that were cocked to one side. “You’re turn” she ordered.

“I might need help. Being an Emperor has caused me to forget how to do the most mundane things” Lelouch stood up and raised an elegant black eyebrow in challenge.

Kallen grumbled before walking over and forcedly removing all of the god awful gawdy outfit. Once Lelouch was completely naked, she dropped to her knees and directed him into her mouth. Lelouch groaned and grabbed onto the silky reddish pink strands.

Kallen gave a few more loving strokes with her mouth before looking up. “How do you want to do this?”

“Well apparently I have a power trip problem, so you decide” Lelouch said slightly breathless.

Kallen stood up as she thought about it. “Bed and I want you to put that smart mouth to better use.”

Lelouch smirked wickedly again as they walked to the bed. He pushed Kallen down and started kissing and nipping all over her body slowly moving lower. God did she have an amazing body. The right amount of muscle for the feminine body. He grabbed her knees and pushed them open before putting his mouth to better use.

“Lelouch!” Kallen squeaked as her body arched. Her head was thrown back in pleasure. That was not what she had meant by putting his mouth to better use, but…damn…wow he was surprisingly good at this particular activity.

Lelouch ran his tongue and nipped at the particular area all the while nudging the black panties to the side. Enough to get his tongue and a couple of fingers where they needed to be. Kallen’s hips bucked into his touch trying to get those fingers to go deeper. Lelouch let out a low growl from his throat and increased the depth and twirl of his fingers as his tongue pressed on that little secret button.

“Oh god Lelouch!” Kallen cried out again and grabbed onto the black hair careful avoid pulling on the pointy black ears.

Lelouch chuckled against her pulling away just enough to retort. “I’m an Emperor not god, but thanks for the compliment.”

“Oh for the love…Shut up” Kallen retorted and gave him a little whack on his head.

Lelouch propped himself up and trailed his tongue up the smooth stomach and between the twin mounds as his fingers continued to twirl and push. His other hand pulled down one side of the skimpy lacey bra and he twirled his tongue against the alert nipple. Kallen arched again and let out a little whine.

Lelouch played a little longer before pushing himself up and grabbing a condom. He laid back on the bed. “I’ve done a lot of work, do you mind taking over for a while?” Lelouch smirked at the flushed woman staring at him.

“Sure” Kallen smiled and straddled the slim man. She lowered herself down and Lelouch let out a little moan. Then Kallen did what she did well. She took charge and dominated like the kick ass woman she was. It didn’t take long for Lelouch to lose his mind and claw into the sheets. His hips desperately trying to meet with hers in the mad dash to the finish. Kallen let out a breathless moan as buzzing haze consumed her which caused Lelouch to follow seconds later. She flopped down next to him and pushed the sweaty strands out of his face.

“You didn’t pass out this time…” Kallen said between breaths.

“I guess not…but I’m completely exhausted…” Lelouch said between his own deep breaths.

They laid in silence next to each other. Kallen caressing his smooth skin. Eventually she realized that he had fallen asleep and smiled fondly. She got up and borrowed the shower before getting dressed. She gave him a quick kiss. He stirred momentarily mumbling thanks and goodbye before falling back asleep.

Kallen walked out the entrance to the Embassy feeling quite content and thoroughly satisfied. That is until her eyes landed on her scowling brother.

“You were gone for quite a while” Naoto stated. “What did you talk about that took so long?”

“Stuff. You didn’t have to wait” Kallen grumbled.

“Stuff…?” Naoto gave her an accusatory stare.

“Stuff that is none of your business.”

Kallen got into the car that Naoto had waiting for them and no matter how much he grilled her on the way home, she kept her mouth firmly shut. Naoto did not like it. Stupid charismatic new Emperor had no business spending alone time doing god knows what with his baby sister.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this story isn't the best, but if you've read this far, I just want to say thanks. I also hope you get some enjoyment out of it. Re-reading it has made me cringe at some parts and I thought about trying to rewrite certain things, but honestly I'm kind of lazy. I have other stories that I would like to be writing, but I wanted to post this anyways. Some parts I do really enjoy. Some parts (cough the smutty parts) are super awkward to read as this was in my early days of writing. 
> 
> Anyways I'm rambling and basically I just wanted to thank you for reading. Feel free to leave any comments/feedback if you feel like it.

Suzaku sat awkwardly at the table in the club room as the Student Council plus Euphemia discussed possible ways of entry into the Embassy without getting caught.

“Well since we are currently stumped, why don’t we take a quick break and have a snack” Milly said pleasantly and pulled the covers off of the platters of cookies while Rivalz went to the fridge to grab the lemonade. “You know it all makes sense now why Lelouch never accepted any of our advances.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Shirley asked as she grabbed a cookie.

“Well it is obvious isn’t it? Lelouch is into strapping young men” Shirley grinned and winked at Suzaku.

“Do you think that’s why he keeps that blonde knight around him all the time?” Nina asked quietly as she plucked away at her computer.

“Oh that’s right! That guy went here for a while…what was his name again?” Rivalz chirped with a mouthful of cookie.

Suzaku stared at them with wide horror filled eyes. They couldn’t possibly mean that Lelouch and Gino were… _no_. That couldn’t be. Lelouch had never shown interest in the dumb jock… Well except that one time when Suzaku found them in bed together, but Lelouch hadn’t been thinking clearly… It wasn’t like he _wanted_ Gino there… Did he?

“You mean Gino?” Euphemia furrowed her brows and pursed her lips.

“Well I guess it would make sense. He always seems to be caught on camera next to the new Emperor” Milly frowned thoughtfully. “It’s not like it matters though. Lulu will have his dear Suzaku back shortly.”

Suzaku blushed. “I-it’s not like…we’re not…” he stammered and Milly just gave him a knowing smile. He was about to try again when the door opened.

Kallen walked in and when her eyes landed on startled emerald one’s she glared. “Kururugi” she practically growled.

Suzaku had stood up and glared back. “Stadtfeld.”

No point in beating around the bush anymore. They knew what the other one was. Kallen forgot about her sick school demeanor and strode forward ready to land a punch on the stupid traitorous pilot. “It’s Kozuki now asshole.” Her fist flew forward and Suzaku dodged it effortlessly.

The rest of the club watched with wide eyes as the two circled each other. Kallen attempting to land punches or kicks. Suzaku dodging. Milly quickly stood between them and held out her hands. “Woah! What is _all_ this about?”

Rivalz quickly grabbed hold of Suzaku pinning him to his body. Shirley did the same with Kallen although she was downright a little shaken. Kallen was always so sweet where did that come from?

“Umm…Kallen…” Euphemia started tentatively. “I know you’re part of the Black Knights, but… you don’t need to fight with each other anymore. Please don’t be mad at Suzaku anymore. We can all get along now” she said sweetly. She turned back to Suzaku. “You too alright?”

Nina watched in wonder at this beautiful pink haired angel sent from above.

“Fine. If she keeps her temper under control…” Suzaku grumbled and Rivalz slowly released his grip.

Kallen snorted. “That’s not completely why I am angry at that jack ass… Lelouch didn’t deserve what he did to him…” she mumbled angrily.

“Oh! So you are mad for Lulu too?” Shirley asked as she released her weak hold on the other girl.

Milly smiled knowingly at her. “You don’t need to worry about that anymore. Suzaku feels bad for being mean to our Lulu and wants to apologize. That’s actually what we are working on right now. A plan to get Lelouch and Suzaku back together.”

“NO!” Kallen yelled angrily. “Absolutely not! I’m not letting that jerk get anywhere near Lelouch!”

Suzaku glared at her. What right did she have to keep him away from Lelouch? None. That’s what.

Shirley blushed. “But…umm… we need to help Suzaku apologize to Lelouch… I mean they need to reconcile… because-“

“Because they make a beautiful couple” Milly finished Shirley’s sentence wistfully.

“What!? They are not a couple!” Kallen choked out.

“But they slept together, so they kind of are” Nina mumbled quietly from her computer with the tiniest blush.

Kallen froze and the blood chilled in her veins. “What?” she said in a threatening voice and took a step closer towards the stupid brunette. “Lelouch slept with you too?”

Suzaku had initially taken a step back when she took her first step towards him. However, when he heard the added ‘too’ to her sentence he stopped and his brows furrowed. He took a step forward back towards her. “What do you mean too?” he asked with an edge to his own voice.

It was Kallen’s turn to look uncertain and step back. “I…I mean…” she stammered as a rosy blush spread across her face.

“What!? No!” Euphemia said in a shocked voice. Her soft violet eyes widened with surprise and her delicate hand flew to her chest as she gasped.

Milly took in the spreading blush on the reddish pink haired woman. “Oh Lelouch has been a very naughty boy hasn’t he? Kallen are you telling us that you and Lelouch have had sex?” she asked with a wicked twinkle in her blue eyes.

It was hard to tell who was paler at the moment- Kallen or Shirley. Kallen paling with the fact that she had just admitted to sleeping with someone. Sleeping with _Lelouch_. Shirley paling because Lelouch had slept with another woman…which meant he wasn’t gay…but he slept with Suzaku…and Kallen…and…and…She almost fainted at the implications.

“Wow…” Rivalz said slowly with awe.

“My brother is such a man whore” Euphemia said scandalized. “Suzaku, Kallen and probably Gino… I wonder if there is anyone else…”

“Wait. You don’t think Lelouch is having sex with Gino, do you? Why?” Kallen’s eyes narrowed.

“Well they are always together…” Euphemia trailed off. “But I guess he’s always with that green haired woman too… Do you think he’s hooking up with her too?”

Suzaku paled and looked at Euphemia with startled eyes. Kallen averted her gaze and frowned. Shirley was still fighting on not fainting thinking about her Lulu hooking up with _all these people_ , but not _her_. Milly was smiling wickedly. He might be the Emperor, but apparently he still needed to be punished.

“I’m not talking about Lelouch’s love life anymore…” Kallen grumbled. “But I’m not helping that asshole get back into his life. He’s doing just fine without him…”

“How do you know that? Did you see him recently?” Milly asked innocently. The look in her eyes was far from innocent.

“Oh did you see him at the delegation thing? Cornelia mentioned it briefly that the different government factions were meeting including the Black Knights” Euphemia added innocently. The look in her eyes _was_ innocent.

Kallen blushed again. Milly pounced on her and gripped her biceps tightly. “Kallen. Did you have sex with Lelouch recently?”

“I’m not talking about this” Kallen said evasively and broke free from the death grip the blonde had on her. Milly wasn’t the only packing hidden muscles.

“Well…uh” Euphemia chuckled awkwardly. “This has been an informative meeting…”

“I bet Kallen is better in bed…” Nina mumbled in a voice barely above a whisper.

Kallen smiled victoriously at a glaring Suzaku. “He did seem to _really enjoy_ himself the last time…” she said in a smug voice. She hadn’t really meant to admit to anything, but being able to hold a victory over Suzaku’s head was _way_ too tempting.

Suzaku’s mouth formed into a very angry defined frown. The thought of someone else in Lelouch’s bed seeing him in orgasmic bliss pissed him off… _a lot_. He stormed out of the room and slammed the door. Eventually, he paused and took a deep breath leaning against a wall. His eyes drifted to the ceiling. He could still feel a little prickling feeling in them. It shouldn’t matter who Lelouch slept with…it had nothing to do with him anyways…because they were _just friends_ … he frowned. Well in truth, they weren’t even friends anymore, so why did it hurt so much thinking that Lelouch was sleeping with Kallen or Gino or CC or anybody else?

Euphemia watched Suzaku leave with wide eyes. She started to follow him, but Milly stopped her and told her to let him calm down. It was hard for Euphemia though. She knew that Lelouch loved Suzaku and based on what she had seen in Suzaku the feeling was most definitely mutual. She was a clever observant girl after all, but if Lelouch loved Suzaku why was he sleeping with other people? It didn’t make sense. Also, she didn’t really like Kallen at the moment. She was just being cruel to be cruel. Euphemia didn’t like seeing Suzaku upset.

Eventually Suzaku found himself in front of Lelouch’s bedroom. He steeled himself and opened the door. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but he needed answers. He _needed_ something. He thought he knew Lelouch, but he wasn’t sure he knew the man at all. Not really. He opened the closet and let his fingers trail across the clothing. He opened boxes and looked through the contents. He sighed disgruntled. Nothing. There was _nothing_ that made him feel close to Lelouch in here.

He walked over to the desk and started rifling through the drawers. He paused in the middle drawer as the corner of a picture caught his eye. He moved the papers on top and stared in wonder at the multitudes of pictures. Pictures of him and Lelouch. They were happy pictures. Almost bordering on intimate… well bordering on intimate was on understatement. There was a picture of Lelouch licking his hand and his wide eyes staring down at the beautiful man with shock. A picture of Lelouch clinging to him for dear life being carried out of the water. A picture of him wiping frosting off the corner of Lelouch’s mouth as Lelouch stared at him with wide violet eyes. A picture of Lelouch snuggling up next to him sleeping and his hand resting on the silky black strands and looking out with window.

He plopped down on the bed and looked through all the pictures with a wonder. His heart clenched. He wanted this Lelouch. The one that looked at him like _this_. The one that looked at him with wide violet eyes filled with _longing_ and…and… _desire_. Well fuck. Suzaku flopped down on the bed on his back and admitted something to himself for the first time. He loved Lelouch and way more than as a platonic friend. Despite all the shitty things that Lelouch had done behind his back, he _wanted_ him. He _needed_ him. It was still Lelouch. He wanted Lelouch to look at him. He wanted Lelouch to touch him. _He wanted to touch Lelouch_. He wanted him in this bed…He wanted…well basically he wanted fuck the daylights out of him again…He didn’t want to give him up. Not to Kallen. Not to anyone.

With renewed determination he pushed himself up to a sitting position and collected the pictures taking them to his room. He was going to get the love of his life back no matter what. Kallen could just go fuck herself. Lelouch was his dammit.

Schneizel looked up from his paperwork to the elegant man across from him. “Well it appears that everything is in order for Japan to take control of its own government. The election for a new President of the United State of Japan will take place next week.”

“That’s good. When it’s done I plan on going back to Britannia. You can do whatever you want at that point as long as you don’t become a pain in the ass” Lelouch said calmly as he stared out the window his left. His hands were folded on his lap.

Kanon let out a little chuckle. He was standing on the right of Schneizel’s chair.

“I’m going with you of course. You are going to need help trying to deal with the other Areas with all your righteous freedom plans. Cornelia has agreed to be the Britannian representative here until Euphemia decides she wants to leave. Apparently she is determined to stay for some reason…” Schneizel said blandly as he stared at his little brother’s profile.

“Hmm…” Lelouch responded. “Well if that’s all, I’m leaving.”

“Lelouch wait. Is there anything wrong? You’ve been rather depressed lately when you think no one is watching.”

Lelouch looked back at his brother slightly startled before placing his mask firmly in place. “I’m fine. Thank you for your concern, but it is not needed. Now if you’ll excuse me.”

“Of course. I know you’re an extremely busy man after all. We’ll talk later” Schneizel responded carefully and frowned when Lelouch left the room. He glanced at Kanon.

Kanon shrugged. “If I didn’t know any better, I would say our new Emperor is broken hearted.”

“I think you’re right. I’m tasking you to figure out who and why.”

“Yes sir” Kanon said cheerfully and saluted. He placed a quick kiss on the blonde’s cheek before leaving the room. Schneizel sighed and looked out the window with furrowed brows. His little brother was still a mystery to him in some regards and that was unacceptable. If he was going to help him rule, he needed to know _everything_. He stood up and walked out of his office. He had to start somewhere.

He walked into the little garden that was in the center of the Embassy. His eyes zeroed in on the delicate figure of his youngest sister in her wheelchair feeding a couple of birds. Her maid standing beside her and that little runty boy with fawn brown hair was sitting a little ways away resting against a tree. The young man tensed as he approached them.

He then had an informative little talk with her and she frowned slightly when he asked if she knew of anyone that might have stolen the Emperor’s little heart. One person popped into her head, but she was still wary of Schneizel and couldn’t pin point his true motives, so she kept her pretty little mouth shut. However, he had put a little idea in her head. She knew Lelouch better than most and she knew he wasn’t alright. Not that he would talk about it even if she asked him point blank. The talks she had with Euphemia had exposed enough of the truth for her though.

“Sayoko, Rolo please get some stuff packed. We are going back to Ashford Academy for a little bit” she said confidently after Schneizel had left.

They arrived same day at Ashford and then she listened calmly as Euphemia filled her in on the little plan of getting Lelouch and Suzaku back together. Not a lot of things took her by surprise, so when Euphemia told her about Lelouch and Suzaku’s intimate relationship, she just blushed a little. It’s not like she couldn’t see it coming. She was 100% on board with the idea of course.

CC climbed on top of the slim man lying on his back on the bed. She cupped his cheeks and planted a soft kiss on the elegant forehead. “You seem down lately. Care to unburden your soul?”

“Not really…” Lelouch replied as he trailed his hands up the pale thighs that were straddling his stomach. They pushed under the hem of the large t-shirt that CC was wearing.

CC place a kiss on his cheek as one hand trailed through his hair. “Well then what do you feel like doing…?” She added a nip to his earlobe.

Lelouch turned his head to the side to let her have easier access. “What are you up to offering…?” His nimble fingers hooked over the top of the pair of skimpy underwear resting on the slim hips.

“Whatever my Emperor needs…” CC mumbled against his shoulder before biting down gently. Her hips circled suggestively.

Lelouch let an amused puff of air from his mouth before rolling them over. Pulling off the panties in the process. Slim legs wrapped around his slim hips. They moved in unison against each other as Lelouch’s hands pushed further up the loose t-shirt. His tongue gently mapping the inside of hers. CC ran her claws down his back tearing the pajama shirt on his back.

Lelouch broke off the kiss and looked at her with narrowed eyes. “I liked this shirt…” he scolded lightly and bit her shoulder in retaliation. CC let out a breathless chuckle and arched against him pressing her chest against his. His hands circled behind her back and he held her there.

“Then just buy a new one…” CC murmured and hooked her fingers into the top of the waistband of his pants.

Lelouch grabbed her wrists and pulled them away. “Don’t I like these pants… I’ll do this…” Lelouch continued to pin her wrists with one hand while the other one pushed down his pants. He rolled over on the bed until he could reach the nightstand and grabbed the necessary items. He had just finished putting on the condom when CC pounced on him. She tied his wrists together with a soft rope and secured them to the bed post. Lelouch looked at her with wide eyes.

She straddled him again and smirked victoriously. Her ears were twitching with excitement before she lowered herself on top of him. Her hips rotated with ease as she continued to nip and lick his neck and shoulders. Eventually Lelouch bent his knees and lifted his own hips. The room was filled with his little moans and pants and the sound of flesh hitting flesh. It escalated until they both finished and then CC hopped off and threw the condom away.

She then curled up next to him. “You know I have a theory why you’re depressed and it has to do with Su-“

“Get out” Lelouch growled before she could finish the sentence.

CC sighed. “So touchy. Fine.” She stood up and left the room. She was sick of this. Lelouch was not himself and it bugged her. He needed to get his shit together to be the Emperor she needed him to be and it appeared that her attempts to distract him weren’t working very well. She was going to have to fix this whether he wanted it fixed or not. She needed to pack a bag for her visit to Ashford Academy.

Lelouch scowled staring up at the ceiling. It took him a moment to realize that he was still tied to the bed without pants. Fuck! He pushed himself up and tried to loosen the knots with his teeth, but they were damn near impossible to deal with. That damn witch! He growled and tried again.

Gino was walking past the door on his self-imposed patrol when he heard the cursing. He knocked softly and the cursing stopped.

“Who is it?” Lelouch called out.

“Gino” Gino responded through the door.

“Thank god. Come here” Lelouch said quickly.

Gino opened the door and his blue eyes flew open at the scene. Lelouch was tied to a bed with a torn shirt and no pants. His hair all mussed up and slightly flushed. Fuck it was so fucking hot. Damn. Wow. His pants instantly felt tight. It was so hard not to get excited and think awful thoughts. Lelouch beckoned him with his chin and Gino hurried over the bed licking his lips hungrily.

“Get me out of these ropes” Lelouch said grouchily.

Gino reached for the ropes…and paused… “Do I have too?” he asked sweetly and grinned coyly at his tied up Emperor. “Maybe in a little bit…?”

Lelouch looked at him with startled eyes. Lelouch was a thinker, so he thought about it. His lips formed into a thoughtful pout in the process. Gino’s eyes were drawn to his mouth and the blonde flushed. Lelouch glanced up into his knight’s face. He wasn’t really contemplating this was he? Ok. Yes he was…


	18. Chapter 18

“Alright” Lelouch said slowly and Gino grinned widely teeth and all. God. Lelouch was the best ever.

He bent down and his mouth hovered over Lelouch’s thin lips caressing it with warm breaths as his large hand cupped the elegant jaw. Lelouch pushed his head the rest of the way, so that their lips were connected. Gino groaned and climbed onto the bed hovering over the pretty naked man on the bed. His fingers traveled along the jaw line burying themselves into the black hair. His other hand gripped a slim bony hip as Lelouch arched up against him.

“Fuck Lelouch…” Gino said in a husky voice as he pushed his own hips down to match the rubbing Lelouch was giving him. He buried his face against the delicate neck and breathed heavily. “You’re so fucking perfect…”

Lelouch let out a breathless chuckle and wrapped a long leg around the muscular hips grinding against him. “There are condoms in the drawer…lubes right next to me…”

Gino groaned and gave him a quick kiss against the neck. He quickly shed his clothes and grabbed a condom before resuming his previous position between his Emperor’s legs. He started a hungry kiss and Lelouch lifted his chin to get a better angle. Gino’s hands mapped out the lean torso below him under the torn shirt and his thumbs skimmed over excited nipples. Lelouch moaned and bucked against him.

Gino broke the kiss. “Will you suck my fingers…?” he asked breathlessly and rested two fingers against the soft thin lips. Lelouch parted his lips and let the fingers penetrate his mouth. Gino let out a little whine as the Lelouch wound his tongue over and over again on the fingers.

Once the fingers were coated, he shimmied down Lelouch’s body and took the semi hard flesh into his mouth while he pushed one finger into the forbidden zone of his Emperor. Lelouch groaned and it took him a moment before he relaxed…Gino’s tongue actually helped with that. Gino eventually crooked a finger finding the little bundle of nerves that caused Lelouch to cry out in pleasure. Gino grinned against the thigh he was currently kissing and nipping at. Lelouch let out obscene noises as he pushed back on those wonderful fingers.

When Gino decided that he had stretched enough, he flipped Lelouch over. He took a moment to stare with wonder at the sight below him. Lelouch the Emperor of Britannia on his elbows and knees for him. Tied to a bed. _Panting_. He groaned and then tore open the condom and grabbed the lube. He gripped the slim hips and eased himself in. Lelouch growled softly as both pain and pleasure assaulted him. Gino trailed his hand around Lelouch and caressed him slowly encouraging him to relax. He also leaned over his back and gave a couple kisses to the flexed shoulder as he seated himself fully in. He took a couple of deep breaths letting Lelouch get used to him.

“Move” Lelouch ordered in a strained voice.

Gino pulled himself back up and grasped the slim hips firmly before giving a small roll of his hips. Both men groaned in pleasure. “Lelouch god you’re so perfect…” Gino said in a lustful voice as he pulled almost all the way out before slamming back in. His fingers gripping hard enough to bruise as he continued his assault on the Emperor’s ass. He continued to change the angle until he heard Lelouch cry out with pleasure and then he dedicated himself to that specific area. His large hand rested on Lelouch’s lower back as he tilted his head back and panted lightly.  

Lelouch was seeing spots in his vision. It was too much. Too much stimulation and he was so close. When Gino’s hand reached around his front his mind snapped back to an awful thought. “G-Gino wait! The bed! The sheets are going to get dirty!” he choked out in panic.

Gino paused for a moment assessing Lelouch’s panic and the situation. He then shrugged and finished ripping off the torn shirt and laying it over the sheet. “Better?”

Lelouch looked at the makeshift barrier. “Yeah. You can continue now.”

Gino smiled and rolled his hips dangerously as he stroked expertly. Lelouch let out a little moan and gripped the sheets tightly with his hands. He pushed back as Gino pushed forward. It didn’t take long with that wonderful stroking hand before he was groaning lowly as his seed consumed said hand and torn shirt. Gino groaned as well as the already tight space contracted even more and his thrusts stuttered a couple of times before stopping. A couple of moments later he was pulling out and flopping down next to Lelouch who also collapsed on the bed.

“So quick question…who tied you to the bed?” Gino said as his breathing calmed down.

“CC” Lelouch said in a sleepy voice.

“Hmm… I’ll have to thank her later” Gino said in amusement. He glanced at the man next to him who was rapidly falling asleep. “Hold on a sec sleepy. We got things to do first.” Gino sat up and made quick work of the knots and then scooped Lelouch up in his arms ignoring the squeak of protest. “You need a shower after all your adventures.”

Lelouch’s eyes shot open in panic and he instinctively dug his nails into the muscular arms carrying him.

Gino face scrunched for a second in pain. “Woah there. Why don’t you retract those claws please? It will be quick I promise.”

“Oh! Sorry…” Lelouch mumbled and flushed adorably. He glared at the shower when they entered the bathroom.

-

Kanon knocked on the door to the Lamperouge residence. When no one answered, he cunningly let himself in. He was on a super important mission after all. He gracefully walked into Lelouch’s bedroom and started digging for information. After a while he just stood in the middle of the room frowning…Lelouch was…was so boring! There was no dirt here _at all_. He let out a disgruntled sigh and started to leave the room when something caught his eyes. There was a picture sticking out from underneath the bed. He picked it up and his blue eyes grew a fraction bigger and he pursed his lips in appreciative contemplation. Well isn’t this _interesting_ … Appears he needed to do a little bit more digging into Suzaku Kururugi.

CC sat on the window sill listening to the stupid teenagers trying to plan a method of getting Suzaku into the Embassy. That busty blonde actually had some interesting ideas and the frazzly haired skinny girl seemed like she had the technical skills, but still. This was some half-baked plan and CC loved her plans and everything else in her life fully baked…preferably topped with cheese… She’d let them play a little bit longer though as it was somewhat amusing. She glanced up from her plate of snacks when Suzaku sat down next to her.

“Can I ask you a question?” he asked keeping his eyes averted.

“Sure” CC responded.

“Are you and Lelouch having sex?” Suzaku asked awkwardly.

“Considering I’m sitting here next to you fully clothed, I would say no. I’m not having sex with Lelouch otherwise I’m sure you’d notice” CC said with a little up tilt of her lips.

Suzaku scowled at her. “Let me rephrase. Have you _had_ sex with Lelouch?”

CC took pity on the scowly man. “Yes. We have. Last night actually.”

Suzaku let out a frustrated growl. “Well if he takes me back, that is _not_ happening anymore. I’m not sharing him with you or anyone else” Suzaku said in a low threatening voice before storming away.

CC watched him walk away with an amused smile. If everything goes well, that wouldn’t be an issue. She would be able to follow that particular request. Even though Lelouch was surprisingly wonderful in bed.

-

Kanon practically skipped when he entered Schneizel’s office. The elegant blonde raised his gaze from the paperwork in front of him to the beautiful man entering the room. He smiled that confident slightly arrogant smile of his.

“You looked pleased” Schneizel said as he leaned back in his chair.

“I am” Kanon said as he placed the picture on the desk. It was a picture of Suzaku Kururugi rubbing suntan lotion on the adorable scrunched face of Lelouch. His emerald eyes looked all lovingly and stuff.

Schneizel picked it up and raised a regal blonde eyebrow. “Explain.”

“That is Suzaku Kururugi.”

“Yes. I know. Euphemia’s pet pilot.”

“Ah, but you see my dear, I don’t think Suzaku is Euphemia’s pet. I think he’s Lelouch’s little pet. When Lelouch and Nunnally came to Japan they lived for about two years by the Kururugi Shrine. This year Suzaku enrolled in Ashford Academy and took up residence in the Lamperouge household. He was also credited of capturing Zero, but arrested under suspicion of co-conspiring. The masked man let him escape on multiple occasions which was considered _weird_. Surprisingly or not depending on your opinion, the new Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia, completely exonerated Suzaku from having any involvement and declared him innocent. What’s even stranger is that he has been officially banned from entering any Britannia owned areas.”

Schneizel tapped his desk thoughtfully. “So you think that this man is who Lelouch is pining over?”

“Yes. I do believe that is the case.”

“Where is he now?”

“At Ashford Academy with Euphemia and Nunnally. Cornelia has been spending time there as well keeping an eye on her precious sister. Oh and I happened to spot a certain green haired witch talking with Suzaku when I visited.”

“Is Cornelia here today?” Schneizel looked out the window in contemplation.

“Yes. Should I fetch her for you?”

“In a moment. Come here first” Schneizel said with devilish grin. Kanon did a very good job. He would have to reward him for all his hard work.

Kanon returned it with a devilish grin of his own as he straddled the regal man on the chair. He pulled his white gloves off and then plunged his fingers into the thick golden hair. Schneizel reached up and removed the ridiculous hat that Kanon insisted on wearing before grasping his chin and pulling him in for a kiss. Kanon hummed his agreement.

After what Cornelia had told him, Schneizel wasn’t sure he wanted to bring Suzaku back into Lelouch’s life. However, when he saw Lelouch sitting in the Library staring at a book, but not reading it, he clenched his jaw in determination. He would go and talk with this Japanese brat and then decide what to do from there. He watched the scenery pass as the car drove to Ashford Academy. Kanon wove their fingers together and Schneizel gave him a small smile.

Suzaku _would not_ be intimidated by the tall blonde prince with broad shoulders. He tried to stay in control of his nerves when Schneizel asked probing questions. He wasn’t exactly grilling him alive. No. Schneizel was freaking sneaky and asked questions that didn’t seem to mean anything, but Suzaku answered them as best as he could anyways. He felt like he was being tested and if he wanted Lelouch back, he was pretty sure getting Schneizel’s approval would be important. Schneizel could crush him a moment’s notice if he felt like it. He was freaking scary like that.

He flopped down on his bed in relief when Schneizel and Kanon finally left. Apparently he didn’t do horribly as Schneizel said that he was going sneak him in during the celebration ceremony next week as hired help for the event. It appears that the Student Council’s plans weren’t necessary anymore. Not with Schneizel on his side… Which was freaky.

Lelouch looked out at the assembled crowd from the elevated stage. On his right was Kaguya and on his left was Empress Tianzi. The rest of the stage was filled with other important people and such. They all made pretty little speeches about the new President and Lelouch promised to be an ally with Japan in future and assist with anything needed.

He spent the evening talking to important people and smiling prettily. He briefly talked with the members of the Student Council. Of course he made sure they were invited. They were his friends after all. With so many eyes and cameras though it was forced and formal. All in all it was exhausting and Lelouch was happy to escape to the solitude of his room when it was over…Well almost solitude if you don’t count the muscular blonde knight that had thrown him on the bed and currently had fingers up his ass.

Lelouch was laying on his back with only his night robe remaining. His pajama pants had quickly been discarded. Gino was kissing his neck as he grinded against his hip and his fingers probed and twirled. Lelouch let out a little moan and arched his hips in pleasure. Perfect stress reliever.

Suzaku took a deep breath outside of Lelouch’s room. Kanon gave him the thumbs up as he escaped down the hall. He quietly opened the door and slipped in. When his eyes landed on the bed he froze mid step. Lelouch was pretty much naked moaning in pleasure while Gino _grinded_ against him. _Nuzzled_ against him. _Again_. Anger boiled up inside of him. **Oh hell no!** Not _again_!

He stomped over to the bed with a jealous fury and ripped the blonde off of _his man_. Gino grunted in surprise as he was sent flying backwards. Lelouch’s eyes flew open with the shock of seeing Suzaku in _his room_ and how angry he was.

“Get out Gino!” Suzaku ground out angrily.

Gino picked himself up and glared back at the tiny angry man. “Not this time. You get the fuck out!” Gino ground back. “Actually I do believe that you are under arrest for trespassing where you are _not wanted._ ” Gino stepped forward.

Suzaku changed his stance and clenched his fist. “Go ahead and try it. I’m not going anywhere until I talk to Lelouch.”

In a flash the two men were wrestling on the floor in a fit of territorial fury. Lelouch sat up on the bed and watched with…with _feelings_. He scowled in disgust and climbed off the bed pulling his pants on. He secured his robe around his stomach and marched out of the room. He could not take all that stupid manly _testosterone_ flying all over the place…Plus…he was a little scared that Suzaku would direct it at him and he really couldn’t take that.

Suzaku broke away for a moment pushing himself up to a standing position. “Lel-“ he started and then froze when he realized that Lelouch wasn’t in the room.

Gino also looked around. “Shit!” he swore. “Look what you did dumbass!”

“What I did? Fuck you Gino! I just wanted to talk to him” Suzaku growled back at the dumb jock.

“Well since I’m _his knight_ , I’m going to go find him. In the meantime get the fuck out of here.” Gino fixed his clothing and then started exiting the room.

“No fucking chance in hell” Suzaku also adjusted his clothing and joined Gino in the hallway.

“They’ll arrest you anyways if you walk around, so go for it.” Gino gave him the finger as he marched off down the hall.

Suzaku paused for a moment by the bedroom door and thought. Which was hard. His brows drew together. He knew Lelouch better than most, so he would start looking where he thought the man might be hiding. It took him a couple of tries, but eventually he opened the right closet doors and his eyes landed on the crouched figure of the Emperor of Britannia.

Lelouch gave him a startled look before scowling. He stood up and tried to push his way past the muscular brunette, but it didn’t work very well because muscles. Suzaku growled and shoved him back into the closet shutting the door in the process.

The small area was plunged into darkness and Suzaku pushed Lelouch against the wall. Their bodies were flush against each other. One of Suzaku’s legs was pushed between Lelouch’s to discourage any movement. One of his hands had Lelouch’s pinned above his head. His other securely fastened over the thin lips muffling any sounds. Lelouch struggled against the hold not that it did any good.

“No. I’m not letting you go until we talk to each other! Do you have any idea how I felt? How I feel? You never told me anything! You went behind my back and did all…All of this bullshit! Never once did you trust me enough to tell me the truth!” Suzaku kept his volume quiet, but it didn’t mean that he didn’t speak his words angrily. “And then I find you two seconds away from fucking Gino! For fucks sakes Lelouch!”

Lelouch had stopped struggling and was glaring angrily at the stupid meat head that had him pinned to the wall. (Not that he could really see. Kitty vision helped some). Suzaku did realize that his hand was cutting off any option for Lelouch to say anything right? I mean it was stupid…and he was not going to be _talked at_ …Which left one option, he parted his lips and licked the manly hand suffocating him. Suzaku squeaked and pulled his hand back.

“Don’t talk to me about trust Suzaku! You never let me explain anything! Remember the pistol to the face? You jumped to your own goddamn conclusions before I even opened my mouth! Why are you even here? Why spend your time talking to a monster!? It’s not like I ever meant anything to you! You have Euphie, just leave!” Lelouch said back just as angrily with a hiss added at the end. His fangs bared against the threat in front of him. Kitty ears laid back. Eyes narrowed to slits.

“I didn’t mean it! I didn’t mean those things that I said to you!” Suzaku choked out frustrated.

“Yes you did! Don’t feed me bullshit Suzaku. You’re not good at it. You’re too damn honest of a person. You always say what you mean! What you feel! Everything you said to me is what you feel!” Lelouch growled angrily.

“What I feel!? God dammit Lelouch! I love you!” Suzaku cried back and violently kissed the angrily growling man who was struggling against him. He detached his mouth for a split second. “I love you! So fucking much that it hurts!” Suzako kissed him again roughly. Lelouch had stopped struggling at this point. “You’re the one who hides behind pretty words and bullshit not saying what you really feel…Quit hiding from me…I can’t take it. Please…”Suzaku added softer and kissed him more gently.

Lelouch wasn’t fighting against the hold anymore. He was instead staring quietly into the tear stained face in front of him. “Suzaku let go of my hands.”

Suzaku hesitated a moment before releasing Lelouch’s wrists. Lelouch instantly wrapped his arms around the slim muscular shoulders buried his fingers into the soft curly brown hair. He then pulled that stupid mouth that said so many stupid things against his. He was not going to let Suzaku say stupid things anymore. Suzaku groaned and pressed harder against the slim man in front of him. His hands desperately grasping for purchase on any part of that body he could.

Suzaku wasn’t sure exactly when it happened, but they were grinding against each other. They were pressing against each other hard. While their mouths connected hard. Everything was _hard_. Lelouch robe was open and he was exploring the smooth torso and flat stomach that he loved. Lelouch broke the kiss and moaned against his neck. “Suzaku fuck me” Lelouch groaned out as his nimble fingers undid the fastenings of Suzaku’s pants.

“Huh? Here?” Suzaku asked breathless. His thoughts were distracted as Lelouch pulled his pants down. He was pretty sure he heard fabric ripping. He let out a groan as Lelouch fisted him. “Oh god….Lelouch…b-but we don’t have…ughn-“ he groaned as Lelouch sucked on his neck.

“It’s fine” Lelouch said confidently before dropping to his knees and taking Suzaku into his mouth twirling his tongue around to make sure it was coated enough.

“Fuck” Suzaku breathed out and braced himself with his hands against the closet wall. His eyes shut with pleasure. _God did he love this man_.

Lelouch pulled him down until he was sitting on the floor with his back resting against the wall. His pants completely gone just like Lelouch’s pants. Lelouch was straddling his lap and slowly lowering himself on Suzaku eliciting a groan from the brunette. Lelouch whined slightly at the feeling. Saliva wasn’t the best lubricant after all. Suzaku grasped and caressed the slim hips trying to relax Lelouch. He was trying desperately to not let his body take control and slam into that beautiful tight heat.

“Wait! Lelouch! We haven’t stretched you” Suzaku said in a panic.

“It’s fine. Gino already did that” Lelouch said bluntly and groaned as he moved lower.

“You did not just say that… dammit Lelouch” Suzaku said angrily and let out a little moan as Lelouch lowered himself fully onto him. “For the record Gino is fired as your knight.”

Lelouch panted against his neck shaking slightly trying to adjust and push the pain away. “Fine…” he mumbled. A moment later he raised himself up gently before pushing back down. After a couple of times he was slamming back down and Suzaku was lifting his own hips to match. The closet filled with pants and moans and other indecent noises.

Lelouch switched to holding onto a shoulder with one hand as he braced himself against the wall with the other. Suzaku’s hands were still busy holding slim hips and pressing against Lelouch’s lower back. Lelouch leaned forward and started kissing that stupid mouth again with too much force. His fang accidently poked a delicate lip and a metallic taste spilled into the kiss. Suzaku didn’t care and thrusted harder while he freed one hand to stroke Lelouch. Lelouch groaned into the hot wet mouth he was occupied with. Within seconds Suzaku’s hand and shirt were ruined and Lelouch’s ass was ruined…in a _very good_ way.

Lelouch flopped down on the brunette beneath him and Suzaku wrapped his arms around him in a hug. “You are mine Lelouch…no one else’s. I’m not sharing you” Suzaku snuggled into the crook a sweaty neck.

“Good. I don’t want you to share me… I want to be yours always. Just yours. I love you so much” Lelouch slurred out against the muscular shoulder.

The closet door opened flooding the small space with light. Schneizel looked down at them in a condescending manner. Thankfully Lelouch’s robe covered any of their inappropriate bits. “I suppose I can call of the search party now” he said in an arrogant asshole amused tone.

“Shut the door Schneizel can’t you see I’m in a very important meeting” Lelouch said grouchily.

“Of course your majesty. I’ll also apologize to the poor maid that walked past here a little bit ago” Schneizel laughed and then shut the door.

Schneizel was still smiling when he ran into a frowning Gino in the hallway. “You can quit looking for the Emperor. He’s quite busy at the moment in a _private_ meeting. Oh also I apologize in advance for your demotion.”

“What?” Gino asked in confusion.

Schneizel patted his shoulder and laughed as he continued walking. “You are dismissed for the evening. Have a good night.”

Gino let the words sink in. Dammit! Stupid Suzaku. He pouted as he walked back to his sleeping quarters.


	19. Chapter 19

“Lelouch. We can’t stay here all night. Get up” Suzaku gave the almost dozing man on him a gentle shake.

“Don’t want to. I love you…and you’re hot and toasty…” Lelouch mumbled with his face still buried against the strong shoulder.

Suzaku chuckled lightly and then pushed Lelouch off of him less lightly. Lelouch squawked as he started falling backwards only to be caught in strong arms. Suzaku gave him a quick peck on the cheek and then one of those dazzling Suzaku smiles that melted Lelouch’s heart. Lelouch gave him a halfhearted glare (not that Suzaku could see it very well. He didn’t have the extra kitty vision) and then retrieved his pants. Suzaku did the same and then they exited the closet together.

Suzaku looked down at his clothing and frowned. The evidence stood out drastically on the dark blue shirt and his pants had neat little rips in them…almost like something with claws attacked them. “I can’t walk around like this” he grumbled.

Lelouch looked at the shirt as well. He supposed that he should feel bad, but he didn’t. He really _really_ didn’t. It was just proof of what they had done and it made him giddy. Apparently it showed on his face because Suzaku gave him a pointed glare. Lelouch looked around briefly before grabbing the bottom of the shirt and pulling it up. Suzaka smacked his hands away and Lelouch frowned.

“Just flip the shirt inside out…and your pants won’t be on much longer anyways” Lelouch said trying really hard not to smirk too much. Suzaku gave him a slightly annoyed glance before pulling the shirt off. Lelouch’s eyes roamed over the flexing muscles and six pack excitedly. He knew what he was doing when he got Suzaku back into his room.

Once they were back in the bedroom with the door shut, Lelouch threw his arms around the strong shoulders. Suzaku wound his arms around the Lelouch’s waist under the robe in return.  “You should take that dirty shirt off…” he whispered into Suzaku’s ear.

Suzaku shivered and tightened his grip. “Lelouch…we should talk…”

“Later. I want you Suzaku. Now.” Lelouch gently nipped at Suzaku’s earlobe and trailed his hands down his back.

“I thought you were sleepy…” Suzaku’s fingers dipped beneath the waist band of Lelouch’s pants and he pressed their hips firmly together.

“We can sleep later. I’ve missed you so much and now that you are here in my arms I’m not willing to waste a single second” Lelouch purred as he nuzzled against Suzaku’s neck.

Suzaku let out a breathless chuckle. “Don’t you think-”

“Of course I think and right now all I can think about is you throwing me on that bed and making me yours…” Lelouch said impatiently and started to pull Suzaku’s shirt off.

Suzaku pushed away smiling charmingly as he shed his clothes and freed Lelouch of his clothes as well. He then lifted Lelouch up into his arms. Lelouch let out an adorable squawk and wrapped his arms and legs around the slightly shorter, but way more muscular man. Suzaku proceeded to throw Lelouch on the bed and crawled on top of him. “You are mine…” he whispered and then bit down on Lelouch’s neck sucking hard enough to leave a mark. Now everyone would know he was taken or you know they might think he’s trashy, but Suzaku didn’t really think about that.

Lelouch shivered, groaned and buried his fingers into the brown hair holding Suzaku to him. _Yes_. He wanted to be claimed. Marked. _Dominated_ (in his love life anyways…not in any other aspect of his life. He was an Emperor after all). “I’m yours…” Lelouch whispered back and traced his fingers over the planes of Suzaku’s back.

Suzaku pushed himself up on his elbows cupping Lelouch’s jaw and kissing him gently. His tongue swiped against a thin soft lip. Lelouch sighed happily and parted his lips. Suzaku pressed his tongue against Lelouch’s tongue teasingly while his hands trailed against the pale skin. When his fingers meandered to the sides of the flat stomach, Lelouch squirmed enticingly at the ticklish feeling. Suzaku pressed closer in response with a small groan. Lelouch’s delicate fingers also caressed random patterns on anything within reach. Back. Chest. Arms. He loved it all.

They had all the time in the world to get to know each other’s bodies, so that is what they were doing. Suzaku kissed and trailed his tongue all across Lelouch’s torso moving lower as he went. Lelouch threw his head back and panted softly. His back arching into Suzaku’s touch. He wanted him _so bad_ and he could feel how badly Suzaku wanted him too based on what was pressed hard against his thigh.

Lelouch let out a little moan as Suzaku’s mouth finally moved to the place that needed the most attention. It was warm and wet and wonderful. Lelouch arched off the bed to get deeper. _God did he love this man._ Suzaku wasn’t sure what the hell he was doing. Not really. It’s not like he ever pictured being with a guy before his realization that he wanted Lelouch. He was completely winging it doing what he thought he himself would enjoy. He was also listening to Lelouch’s subtle noises and movements.

“W-wait Suzaku!” Lelouch called out suddenly and pulled at the brown strands until Suzaku broke mouth contact. “I…I want to…umm…I want you inside of me when I finish.” Lelouch’s flushed face turned a deeper shade of red and he chewed at his lower lip.

Suzaku looked down at him fondly. Adorable. _So fucking adorable_. “Ok. Do you want to do that now?” he asked with only a little teasing in his voice.

“For the love of god yes” Lelouch responded in a low needy voice that sent more blood running southward through Suzaku.

He propped himself up in-between Lelouch’s legs. “Condom? Lube?”

Lelouch reached for the drawer of his nightstand and tossed Suzaku the lube. The athletically inclined male caught it effortlessly. When Lelouch settled back down with his legs around his waist, he raised his eyebrows in question.

“No condom. I want to feel you. I want you leave your mark inside of me again” Lelouch said confidently.

Suzaku looked at him and groaned as he popped the lid on the lube. Hot. _So fucking hot_. He was starting to love when Lelouch said dirty things. He quickly finished his task and pressed into the tight space that he would never be able to live without anymore. Lelouch grasped the sheets digging his claws in as pleasure consumed him. 

Suzaku hooked one of Lelouch’s knees over his elbow to lift the slim hips up a little higher as he rolled his hips mercilessly. Lelouch cried out in pleasure as the little bundle inside of him was hit with precision every single time. Suzaku was getting good at this. He was always quick at picking up physical activities…like sports…and apparently sex. Suzaku could feel the expanding heat inside of him getting hotter, but he wanted Lelouch to peak first. He freed one hand from the hip he was holding firmly to and stroked Lelouch instead.

“Lelouch…cum for me” he said in a low voice as his thumb slipped over the tip.

Really how could Lelouch say no to such a request? His last shred of control slipped and he moaned out Suzaku’s name as he came.

Suzaku pushed through the resulting orgasm burying himself deep before he groaned in pleasure. He continued to thrust through his own orgasm and then flopped down on the sweaty satisfied man below him. The room fell into silence only broken by the catching of breath and the eventual purring as Lelouch nuzzled closer to the warm body lying next to him.

Suzaku chuckled. “Are you purring again?”

“Yes. I’m happy…” Lelouch nuzzled closer against the muscular chest and tightened his hold around the rock hard abs.

“We should go get cleaned up.” Suzaku stroked his fingers through the black silky strands and down the elegant shoulder blades.

“Not right now.”

“But you’re dirty. You hate being dirty.”

“I don’t mind as long as I’m dirty with your fluids…”

Suzaku blushed horribly. “Don’t say things like that…”

“You can’t really stop me unless you fill my mouth with other things” Lelouch said in a suggestive tone and placed a kiss on Suzaku’s chest.

“…You’re horrible…” Suzaku sighed. “I’m still mad at you by the way.”

“Why?” Lelouch stifled a yawn and closed his eyes.

“Really? I thought you were supposed to be smart… For starters the whole Zero thing. I ca-“

“It worked out.”

“Hey don’t cut me off asshole” Suzaku said with halfhearted annoyance as he whacked Lelouch’s head softly. “Fine we can talk more about that later. How about we talk about the fact that you have apparently been spreading your legs for everyone.”

“Now that is an exaggeration… Are you jealous?”

“Yes. I don’t like the thought of you with anybody else. You’re mine.” Suzaku said petulantly.

“So we’ve established tonight. Now can we get some sleep?” Lelouch pushed himself up to look into the emerald eyes that had been plaguing him for as long as he could remember.

Suzaku was frowning until he looked into the adorable questioning face of the man he loved. He then broke out one of the dazzling Suzaku smiles. “Fine. But we’re talking about this more tomorrow.”

“Of course dear. Whatever you say” Lelouch said with a little smirk and kissed Suzaku gently before snuggling back up to the hot body.

Lelouch fell asleep almost instantly. Suzaku on the other hand looked up at the ceiling for a while. The light was still on and it was freaking bright. He glanced at the light switch on the wall by the door like it was his most hated enemy. He carefully tried to pry Lelouch off of him, but it only resulted in a low growl and claws digging into his side. He let out a frustrated sigh and gave up. Instead he pulled one of the multitude of pillows (there was probably around 20) on the bed over his face.

Lelouch woke up first the next day and smiled. It was a giant tooth filled smile as he stared lovingly at the man sleeping next to him. Suzaku was in his bed. Suzaku had bite marks scattered across his body. _Suzaku was his_. His smile turned mischievous as he leaned down and took a relaxed nipple into his mouth using his tongue to play with it. Suzaku let out a little sleepy moan and arched into the contact. Lelouch’s hand slowly trailed down the toned body. He would have gone for the gold if not for the little clearing of a throat.

He detached his mouth from trailing hot wet patterns against the tan skin and sat up. He looked at the green haired witch that was sitting in his desk chair smirking in amusement. He frowned. How the hell does she do that? Popping up out of nowhere.

“I see everything is in order now. I sent Gino away before he could knock on the door. He’s going to be devastated when you reassign him” CC said as her amber eyes raked over the two naked disheveled haired forms on the bed.

Lelouch frowned thoughtfully. “I suppose he will, but it needs to be done.”

“Who are you going to make your new knight? Suzaku?”

Lelouch looked scandalized. “No! Suzaku can’t be my knight. He’s going to be my husband.”

Now if Lelouch felt scandalized, Suzaku felt terrified. _Husband!?_ What? Isn’t that something they should talk about? Wasn’t it a little soon to make such a claim? He had started to stir from sleep the moment they started talking. Now he was wide awake. Not that Lelouch noticed, but CC did and her eyes twinkled mischievously.

“Ok. So you’ve found yourself an Empress that can’t produce children. Have you considered who you are going to have for consorts?” CC said in a bland business like tone.

Suzaku was feeling a myriad of things, but mostly anger. First, Empress? What the fuck? No. Second, consorts? Again that was a hell no. He wasn’t going to be sharing Lelouch with anybody.

Lelouch waved a dismissive hand with a flick of his wrist. “I don’t need consorts. It would make Suzaku upset and he is my first priority. I don’t need anyone else besides him.”

Suzaku felt his heart warm at the declaration. God did he love Lelouch.

“An Emperor needs to produce heirs. You can’t just have the one” CC said innocently. The gleam in her eyes was far from innocent.

Lelouch’s eyebrows furrowed with confusion. “The one?”

“Oh Kallen didn’t tell you yet?” CC said with a wicked little smirk. “Congratulations you’re going to be a father.”

Lelouch paled. Suzaku bolted to a sitting position. “What!?” Lelouch and Suzaku choked out at the same time.


	20. Kallen POV

Kallen was a pretty girl. She knew this based on how men ogled her when she hit puberty. There was one guy who didn’t ogle her though. One man that treated her like an equal and looked at her as a person. Lelouch Lamperouge. Tall. Elegant. Beautiful. There was also an inner strength hiding beneath his polite and somewhat standoffish personality. She had watched him for years. Admiring. Wanting. He remained unattainable to her.

The last year of high school started to change this though. She watched with a new jealousy that she didn’t want. All of a sudden there was a green haired exotic woman in Lelouch’s life. A woman that seemed to understand him in a way that no one ever had. A woman that Lelouch seemed to lean on and was comfortable letting past his outer armor.

Then there was Suzaku Kururugi. A handsome muscled man that Lelouch couldn’t tear his eyes off of. She noticed. He smiled more. His eyes twinkled more. He seemed happier, lighter, when Suzaku was around. She wanted nothing more than to be Lelouch’s best friend and she had tried, but Suzaku just breezed right into the spot. Really she didn’t hate him. Suzaku was honest, brave and loyal. Although she was also brave and loyal to a fault, she couldn’t compete with his honesty. Kallen lived in a world of lies and deception.

She had already accepted her fate of watching the beautiful man from afar, but when she saw Shirley swoop in to try and steal Lelouch’s affection for herself, something snapped inside of Kallen. She was still kind of shocked that the shy sweet orange haired girl had found the courage to land a kiss on those thin soft looking lips. She wanted those lips. She wanted to feel them and she did. It was mind blowing…and Lelouch reciprocated. He liked it!

Her happiness that night was short lived though, when Suzaku and Shirley showed up. Suzaku looked reproachful and Shirley looked hurt. She didn’t want to hurt Shirley. The girl was probably one of the sweetest girls she had ever met. Of course she chased after her when she fled. To her dismay when she came back Lelouch was gone and the next time she saw him, his wall was back up. He was again unattainable. Distant.

She didn’t have time to dwell on it though. Her life was moving in fast forward and Lelouch was pushed to the back of her thoughts. Kallen’s sole responsibility and focus was working with Zero and Black Knights to free Japan. To finally be able to claim her Japanese heritage. To finally be able to join her mother and brother. It was all she had wanted since her parents divorced and her mother had left. Her brother had ran away shortly after and she had been forced to live as a Britannian, so her father could have an heir.

Zero was amazing. Zero was her answer. Zero was her savior. She loved the mysterious man. Not in a romantic way. No, she loved him like a hero. At least that’s how it started, but then she rescued the man that had rescued her over and over again. When her eyes landed on the pale skin, black hair, elegant nose and thin lips, her heart clenched. She didn’t even care about the mysterious cat ears. It was weird. She was confused. She was lost and then he opened those bright violet eyes. She loved Lelouch. She loved Zero. He was everything she had ever wanted.

 After having his identity and heritage revealed to her, Lelouch was more open. Lelouch confided in her more. She slid into the spot of his best friend as he continued to grow more distant from Suzaku. It was inevitable with him being the pilot of Britannia’s white knightmare. She hated Suzaku. Hated him for turning his back on Japan. Hated him for what he was doing to Lelouch. She felt for Lelouch, she really did, but the only way she could help was not to kill the stupid traitor. That didn’t stop him from trying to kill her every time they crossed paths in their knightmares. Kallen was lucky that she was so fucking skilled as a pilot that she was able to hold her own. Suzaku was ruthless. Fearless. Violent.

When she felt and heard the cockpit being ripped open, she knew that it would be the end of her. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. Everything moved in slow motion. Suzaku hesitated for a split second and then Lelouch was beside her reaching out. There to save her. She grasped his out stretched hand. Her lifeline. Her everything. She didn’t want to deny herself anymore. She needed him.

Lelouch finally gave himself to her. She felt him in all the ways she had always dreamed about. His delicate touch…well until his claws came out and dug softly into her flesh. Marking her. Claiming her. The tiny pain shot pleasure up her spine. His hot wet mouth on her. Devouring her mouth. Her skin. Her soul. When he filled her, she arched into him begging him to go deeper. It didn’t matter who he was at that moment. It didn’t matter who she was. They were one. Just a mass of tangled limbs and erotic noises.

Kallen thought that was it. They had shared themselves with each other. She was inexplicably happy with Lelouch sleeping next to her. Reality slapped her in the face like a bitch though when CC climbed into the bed with them. She felt the strong urge to attack the woman for touching what was hers, but then the damn green haired woman made the comment that it was her bed too…and that made Kallen pause. Lelouch wasn’t hers. Not really. Yes they had slept together, but his heart didn’t belong exclusively to her. Not the way her heart belonged to him. Could she share him? She laid awake that night thinking. She finally came to the conclusion that yes she could share him as long as she got some part of him… It would be enough. It had to be.

Life went on as normally as it could for a brief moment. She continued to have occasional intimate moments with Lelouch which filled her with joy. Then Lelouch was gone. CC finally divulged the fact that Lelouch had met with Suzaku and had been captured and brought to the Embassy. Kallen saw red. How could Suzaku do that to Lelouch? What happened to that loyalty she had always admired in him? Lelouch loved Suzaku. She was furious and more than happy to accompany CC on a rescue mission. CC was loyal Lelouch. She might not trust the woman completely, but she trusted that much at least.

They were on their way to storm the Embassy when Lelouch contacted CC. Kallen’s heart filled with relief. Lelouch was alive. Well for now anyways. CC relayed the order to cause a distraction and Kallen gave one hell of a distraction. When the order came to withdraw, she did so confident that Lelouch had escaped. What she hadn’t expected was his televised speech claiming to be a prince…Like what the actual fuck? Who the hell was Lelouch? She had been sleeping with fucking Britannia royalty… The family that she despised. She was again lost. She was again confused and she had no way of being able to talk to Lelouch unless he allowed it…now that he had declared himself the fucking next Emperor of Britannia.

Lelouch continued to be the man that she admired though and stuck to his word about freeing Japan. She couldn’t hold a grudge against him from hiding his identity. Plus if she was honest with herself, it made her desire him more. Even though they were able to have brief moments alone together like when he was being perverted and wanted her to keep her undergarments on when they fucked, he was once again becoming unattainable. Untouchable. She fucking hated it.

Another thing she fucking hated was Suzaku. When she saw him in the club room the anger exploded in her. Suzaku Kururugi was a traitorous backstabbing asshole. She would have beat the shit out of him if Milly hadn’t intervened and when she found out that he had slept with Lelouch, she saw red again. He had stolen something precious from Lelouch and he betrayed him. Betrayed his best friend. A friend that loved him. Suzaku was the lowest of the low and she would _not_ help him get back into Lelouch’s life. That was a fuck no.  

There was another reason why she didn’t want Suzaku and Lelouch to be together and it came in the form of a little test strip. She cried that day. It was not something she did like at all. Cry. It was weak and she was not weak. How was she supposed to tell Lelouch? She needed to, but this changed everything. Kallen the war hardened Japanese that fought for her country’s freedom was pregnant with the Emperor of Britannia’s child. How the fuck was she supposed to explain this to Lelouch? To her family? To her fellow Black Knights? It was humiliating. Even though she was beyond happy…She _was_ pregnant with _Lelouch’s_ child… A man she loved. A man she would die for.

A man that was very much in love with Suzaku if everyone was right and deep down she knew they were. She would have to be blind not to see it. She was afraid that Lelouch would welcome him back even if Suzaku didn’t deserve. He really didn’t. He was an asshole. Her heart sank when Lelouch invited her to the Embassy and Suzaku was at his side…holding his fucking hand… She knew Lelouch had feelings for her, but she couldn’t compete with Suzaku. Maybe on the battlefield, but not in this regard. 

Weirdly enough Suzaku smiled at her and held out a hand to her. She skeptically took it and then to her surprise Lelouch left them to talk… _alone_. What the fuck? Kallen’s eyebrows furrowed with confusion as she watched Lelouch’s retreating back and then her eyes flickered to the hand that Suzaku was still holding.

“I think we need to talk…” Suzaku said calmly. She stared into his emerald green eyes.

“About what?” Kallen bit back.

“About the fact that you are going to be the mother of Lelouch’s child” Suzaku said still meeting her gaze.

“What!? How the fuck do you know that?” Kallen asked sharply as she pulled her hand back fiercely.

“CC” Suzaku shrugged and started walking towards the gardens.

“How the fuck did she know?” Kallen followed angrily.

“I don’t know. She’s creepy like that I guess.” Suzaku glanced at her as they walked. “Do you love Lelouch?”

“Yes.”

“And do you hate me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Kallen gave him an incredulous look. “You’ve got to be kidding me right? You’ve been trying to kill me for about a year and more importantly you betrayed Lelouch. You don’t deserve him.”

Suzaku shrugged again. “First, I didn’t know I was trying to kill you. Second, it was sort of a misunderstanding with Lelouch, but we’ve worked through it and I’ll never betray or hurt him again.” Suzaku said seriously and grabbed her elbow pulling her to a stop. “I’m never leaving him. This is where the dilemma comes into play.”

Kallen just gaped at him. “Dilemma? What the fuck does that mean?”

“I don’t want to share Lelouch with anyone. However I can’t give him a child like the one you are currently carrying. He’s actually really excited to be a father” Suzaku said fondly albeit a little sadly.

“I wouldn’t know as he hasn’t said anything to me and I’m here talking with you” Kallen grumbled and looked away. “What do you want?”

Suzaku furrowed his brows. “I want Lelouch to be happy and CC was right. The Emperor of Britannia should have children…Preferably with the same mother. Lelouch obviously has some sort of feelings for you…”

“So you are going to step aside and let me be with Lelouch?” Kallen gave him a skeptical look.

“No. That’s not happening. Not exactly anyways. Lelouch and I are going to get married and I don’t know if I’m going to be able to tolerate sharing him…However I’m willing to try…Maybe…” Suzaku chewed at his lip and fidgeted nervously. Could he really share the man he loved? He wasn’t entirely sure, but Lelouch was _happy_ that he was going to be a father. He didn’t want to take that possibility from him.

“You want me to be a glorified whore is that what you’re saying?” Kallen’s eye twitched. She was feeling the need to punch something again and what a convenience Suzaku’s face was right here.

“Does it make you a whore to stay with the man that you love?” Suzaku gave her a pointed look and raised an eyebrow.

Kallen started walking again ignoring Suzaku for the moment as she thought. She had sort of willingly shared him with CC already…Gino was probably mixed in there as well… But it was _Suzaku_! She loathed the man. He just kept swooping in out of nowhere and stealing Lelouch out from beneath all of them. It was infuriating. She also knew deep down if Lelouch had to pick, he would pick Suzaku. She had to admit from the moment she watched them interacting, it was like they were meant for each other. Could she willingly take the second place in his life? She glanced at Suzaku next to her quickly and then looked away. Suzaku was willing to try and that in and of itself was kind of shocking.

“Fine…we can try” she mumbled and then almost stumbled when Suzaku gave her a truly dazzling smile.

It was settled then. She would live as the Emperor’s consort. It kind of fucking sucked, but at the same time it didn’t. She hadn’t really had any actual intimate moments with Lelouch since they had first started this weird relationship, but it was fine. She was pregnant and he was still there. Still within arm’s reach. She even started getting along with Suzaku more which was quite a shock to her system. She also admitted to herself that she and Suzaku were quite similar. Now that was somewhat nauseating and a hard pill to swallow.

Based on her family’s and the Black Knight’s response, they were also having a hard time accepting the fact of her new life. Naoto struggled the most. He completely overreacted in Kallen’s opinion. Especially when he slammed his fist on the table and shouted that he fucking knew it and he was going to kill that upstart Emperor. Thankfully her mother was the only other person present when the threat had been issued. She didn’t want an international incident after all.

All in all, it wasn’t horrible and she was relatively happy for the time being.

4 years later….

Kallen sat at the little table outside drinking lemonade with Suzaku as they watched Lelouch running around the yard with his little daughter. Her blue eyes sparkling with happiness. Her black hair swaying in the wind. Her cat ears and tail twitching playfully as she attempted to pounce on her tricky father. Kallen rocked her infant son in the little cradle next to her. His reddish pink hair was curly. His blue eyes shut with sleep.

“So do you still hate me?” Suzaku asked like out of nowhere with a little bit of humor in his voice.

Kallen rolled her eyes and looked at the even more muscular man next to her with his dazzling smile and sparkling emerald eyes. “No Suzaku I don’t hate you” she smiled back.

“Lelouch and I have been talking and we want to run something past you.” Suzaku looked back at the regal man who was currently rolling on the ground. “This is awkward…you can say no… umm… Lelouch was wondering if you would consider having a child with me… he said he wants a little Suzaku running around too…”

Kallen gaped at him. “You have got to be fucking kidding me…”


	21. Next Generation

Elowen inherited quite a bit from her daddy. His jet black straight hair, his pale complexion, elegant nose and his little kitty cat traits. Her bright blue eyes though she inherited from her mommy. Oh and also her spunkiness. That came from her mommy. Unlike her regal athletically challenged daddy, Elowen possessed a natural talent for running, climbing…fighting… that last one was somewhat controversial. Elowen was also dangerously sneaky and sly. She was able to sneak away from guards and babysitters which caused quite a bit of an uproar at times. Like right now.

Elowen was crouched behind a couch grinning wickedly as she watched daddy-Zaku walk closer and closer. Her eyes level with the ground to watch his approaching feet. This time, this time it would be different. She would finally get the drop on him. Her tail swung back and forth with anticipation. He strode past her hiding place and she pounced.

Now Suzaku had lightning fast reflexes and saw the child mass flying towards him. He caught the little eight year old princess effortlessly and chuckled at the pouting delicate face.

“Elowen. What are you doing here? You are supposed to be in the daycare” Suzaku scolded lightly and bopped her nose.

“I’m too old to be in daycare daddy-Zaku and it’s no fun. Celeste is being a tyrant again and Elliot won’t let me into his fort. He says girls aren’t allowed” Elowen pouted miserably and buried her face against his muscular shoulder.

“You should try to get along with Celeste. She doesn’t visit that often” Suzaku diverted from his original path to carry the troublesome princess back to the royal daycare.

“I don’t like her…even though I’m older, she still acts like the boss. Plus my daddy’s are the Emperors so she should be following my orders…”

“Hey we didn’t raise you to be a spoiled little princess. Sometimes we have to share and cooperate. Now I want you to be a good little girl and pull back the kitten for now. You know that you aren’t supposed to run around in full blown kitten mode” Suzaku said fondly and petted the pointy black cat ears down.

Elowen let a disgruntled sigh and did as she was told pouting the whole time. “It’s not fair. I shouldn’t have to hide what I am from the world…”

“Maybe someday you won’t have to, but that is not today.” They walked in pleasant company. Suzaku listened attentively to the spunky princess until they were in front of a door. “Ah here we are.”

Elowen let out a gagging noise and stuck her tongue out at the man carrying her. They entered the daycare and Shirley ran up to them.

“Oh my goodness! I am so sorry Suzaku! She just disappeared and slipped out again” Shirley said frantically and then looked at the little princess. “Elowen I am very disappointed in you.” The other staff also gave apologetic smiles.

“Sorry mam…” Elowen mumbled with her face pressed up against Suzaku’s chest.

Suzaku just shrugged and set the princess down. His eyes scanned the little room and Elowen was right. There was six year old Celeste dressed up as a queen. Crown and all. Her long dark pink locks swaying and her dark purple eyes narrowed dangerously as she gave orders to the other children. Seraphine followed after her heroine queen with large child mint green eyes. Her unruly carnation pink hair sticking to her face. The three year old followed her older cousin everywhere. It was pretty common that when Cornelia or Euphemia visited their children came as a package deal.

The delicate seven year old strawberry blonde, Claude, was handling herself rather amicably, always the mediator. Her pastel blue eyes were not showing any fear in the face of the daycare queen. Four year old Maeve on the other hand was glaring defiantly with her bright blue eyes. She had acquired a smaller crown and placed it on her shining golden hair. Rhea the other four year old hung to her mother’s leg much to Shirley’s chagrin. Her green eyes watched the daycare queen with terror. She nervously tugged on her dark blue hair that was in pigtails.

The infant children were chewing on random baby objects in the play pen. Sullivan had fawn brown soft curly hair and soft violet eyes. Rowan was watching his cousin with curious turquoise eyes. He had pink hair like his older sister just a tad bit more purple.

Suzaku spied the giant blanket fort in the corner of the room and smiled fondly. He walked over to the fort with Elowen on his heels. “Elliot can I come in?” Suzaku asked quietly.

“If you must daddy-Zaku” came the bored sounding reply.

Suzaku pushed a blanket aside and crawled in. He looked down at the figure curled up on the pillows with a little bundle snuggled in his thin arms. Five year Elliot looked at him indifferently with his bright blue eyes. He was paler than the other children and his reddish pink hair was messed up with an awful case of bed hair. Elowen tried to sneak in after her daddy, but Elliot saw her.

“No. You can’t come in. No girls allowed” Elliot said grouchily.

“But you let Sayori in” Elowen pouted and folded her arms.

Suzaku smiled fondly at the three year old princess, Sayori, snuggled in her brother’s arms. She took after Suzaku in some regards. She had brown hair, but it was straight. Well most of the time. Right now it was mussed up with sleep and sticking up at odd angles. She was definitely pale compared to her tan daddy, but she did have his emerald green eyes.

“Because she wouldn’t stop crying and said she wanted a nap” Elliot grouched.

“Elliot. You shouldn’t exclude your sister. It’s not nice” Suzaku scolded the thin boy and ruffled his hair. Elowen took this as her queue that she could indeed hang out with her family in the blanket fort.

“But if I let her in then the other girls would want in. There are too many girls in this family. Mommy should have another kid. I want a brother…” Elliot pouted.

Suzaku chuckled. “Sullivan and Rowan are boys.” Suzaku pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

“They are babies and no fun” came the sour reply.

“If you’re mommy has another kid, that kid would start as a baby too.” Suzaku had to admire kid logic. It made no sense, but was highly amusing. He did feel bad though for poor little Elliot. Odysseus had two boys, but they were quite a bit older and they were rarely at the palace. Nor did they want or need to be anywhere near the daycare.

“Yeah, but at least I would have a brother…”

“I want another brother too!” Elowen said cheerfully. “Maybe he’d be more fun than Elliot…”

“Hey! You’re mean Elowen” Elliot cried out.

“I’m not mean! You’re mean! You wouldn’t let me in the fort and left me to fend for myself with Celeste.” Elowen stuck out her tongue towards her brother.

“Dada-zazu…?” Sayori piped up sleepily and smiled. Her chubby cheeks forming little dimples.

“Hey princess” Suzaku said softly and gave the chubby cheeks a kiss. The little girl wrapped her tiny arms around her daddy-Zaku’s neck. Suzaku looked over his three children. They were wonderful. Adorable. And a freaking handful. He had to give Shirley credit. She was a saint. “I expect you all to behave yourselves. Elliot let your sister in the fort and the other girls if they want to. Elowen stay in the daycare. No more running around the palace.”

Elliot rolled over to face away from Suzaku and buried his face into a pillow and mumbled. “No.”

Elowen folded her arms and stuck her lower lip out pouting.

Sayori pulled at Suzaku’s hair and giggled when he made a pained face.

Suzaku sighed as he removed the tiny hands from his hair. “No more arguments. I have to go talk to your daddy. If I hear that you cause any more trouble, no dessert tonight.”

Elliot quickly sat up and grabbed Suzaku’s shoulders. “Please don’t leave me in this hell hole! Take me with you!”

“Elliot! Language” Suzaku scolded.

“I want to go too! I want to see daddy!” Elowen cried out excitedly and threw herself at Suzaku.

“Me too!” Sayori cried out with large emerald eyes. Suzaku wasn’t sure that the three year old knew what she was asking or if she was just following her older siblings’ examples.

Suzaku let out another sigh. “Fine. You can come with if you promise to behave.” He was met with enthusiastic nods. He sighed again and crawled out of the fort with Sayori in his arms. Shirley gave him a sympathetic look as he walked to the doors followed closely by the two children with large hopeful eyes.

They had only taken a couple steps before Elliot demanded that he wanted to be carried too. Once Elliot was in Suzaku’s arm, Elowen pouted that she wanted to be carried. Suzaku sighed and knelt down letting Elowen pounce on his back. She was pretty strong for an eight year old and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck while her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. It was a good thing that Suzaku had muscle to spare.

Kanon gave him an amused smile as he walked up to the door of Lelouch’s office.

Sayori started bouncing happily in Suzaku’s arms and he had to focus on not dropping her. “Non non non” she chanted excitedly and reached out towards the pretty rose gold haired man. Kanon smiled fondly and held out his arms for her. Elliot buried his face against Suzaku’s shoulder. He didn’t like his uncle Kanon. He teased too much.

“Are they still having their meeting?” Suzaku asked Kanon.

“Yeah, but I’m sure you can interrupt them. They need a break anyways” Kanon said slightly distracted as he peppered the little princess with kisses.

Suzaku didn’t even bother knocking on the door as he opened it. He was an Emperor too after all. Lelouch gave a surprised look for a second, but it quickly turned to a pleased smile. Elowen dropped from Suzaku’s back and ran to her daddy jumping into his lap.

“Daddy!” she exclaimed. Lelouch let out an amused chuckle and pet down the black pointed ears that had appeared on his daughter’s head.

Elliot started fidgeting trying to get down, so Suzaku set him down and walked over to Lelouch giving him a chaste little kiss. Lelouch had other ideas and wrapped a hand into the soft curly brown hair holding him for a proper kiss. Elowen gagged and told them to get a room. Something she’d heard her mommy say on multiple occasions. Suzaku chuckled and ruffled her hair.

Schneizel watched with a fond little smile on his face. His inner musings were interrupted though by the gentle tug on his shirt sleeve. He turned his soft lavender eyes on the little scrawny boy with reddish pink hair. “Uncle Schneizel…will you play chess with me?” Elliot asked bashfully as a rosy tint accosted his extremely pale cheeks.

Schneizel gave a slight nod of his head. “Of course Elliot.” He stood up elegantly and held his hand out for the small boy. They walked over the chess board and Schneizel set it up for them. Of course Lelouch had a chess board in his office. They played while Suzaku and Lelouch talked. Elowen bounced between her daddies and watching her crafty uncle and smarty pants brother play chess. Elliot was frowning considerably and his little claws were present as he moved his pieces around the board. A little fang was present from time to time when he opened his mouth. Kanon played patty cake with Sayori in one of the plush chairs in the room and they giggled merrily.

That night after the children were put to bed, the three parents sat amicably cuddled on the couch watching the news and drinking tea.

“So Elliot was saying that he wants a little brother…” Suzaku said eventually with amusement.

Kallen gave him a very dangerous glare with narrowed eyes. “I am not a baby making machine Suzaku.”

Lelouch chuckled.

“I guess you’re right. If you tired of having children, I suppose we could ask someone else… maybe CC?” Suzaku’s lightning fast reflexes saved him from the punch flying his way.

Lelouch chuckled harder and didn’t even flinch under the glare coming from their lover. He patted her hair down soothingly. “Suzaku is only joking... Well mostly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you're wondering who I shipped in this story to make these children:
> 
> Elowen, Elliot, Sayori– LelouchxKallenxSuzaku  
> Celeste, Rowan – CorneliaxGuilford  
> Seraphine – EuphemiaxOrpheus   
> Claude (adopted) – SchneizelxKanon   
> Maeve – MillyxClovis  
> Sullivan – NunnallyxRolo   
> Rhea – ShirleyxRivalz


	22. Suzaku's Proposal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops. Forgot to plug this in earlier as it was saved separately.

Suzaku was afraid. He had just finally got the man of his dreams only to find out that a past lover was pregnant with his child. It was terrifying. They had discussed a lot of things in the last week. Talked about the Zero personification. Talked about plans for the future. They always talked about facing it together. There was no question in that, but what to do about Kallen? They talked about the child. Lelouch was ecstatic. Suzaku noticed how his violet eyes twinkled when he talked about being a father. Lelouch was afraid of missing out on his own child’s life. Suzaku couldn’t blame him and honestly he had always wanted kids himself…little Lelouch’s would be off the charts in adorableness.

They had finally bounced CC’s idea of having Kallen be Lelouch’s consort. Suzaku hated the idea and Lelouch looked thoroughly guilty when he said he would be alright with it if Suzaku was. Suzaku wasn’t sure. He wasn’t the biggest fan of the violent reddish pink haired woman, but she _was_ Lelouch’s friend. They had shared something during the rebellion that Suzaku hadn’t been a part of.

Through all of it though, he kept coming back to one little thought. He wanted to cement his spot in Lelouch’s life. He would try to let Kallen be there. Try to let her be Lelouch’s _lover_ …but… he needed to be Lelouch’s number one. Anything less was unacceptable. That was what caused him to hatch his plans…his proposal plans… He had originally thought that they would wait, but he just _couldn’t_. Not anymore. He wanted to claim a part of Lelouch that no one else could ever have.

As they were walking to their bedroom (originally Lelouch’s room, but when they hooked up they said fuck it and Suzaku moved right on in), Suzaku turned to Lelouch with pink tinted cheeks. “I’ll be right back… um… go ahead and shower without me…”

Lelouch gave him a curious look. “Where are you going?”

“Uh… don’t worry about it…oh and also…” Suzaku took a deep breath and whispered the rest. “Don’t bother putting any clothes on afterwards…”

Now _this_ got Lelouch’s attention and he broke out into a seductive little smile. “Oh really? I think I can manage that… Hurry back… ”

Suzaku did. He came back into the room with a little black bag that Lelouch eyed curiously from where he was lounging in a silky robe. A bag that Suzaku took with him to the bathroom as he rinsed off. Lelouch smiled slyly as he heard the shower turn on and then after a couple minutes shut off. That was the fastest Suzaku had ever showered. Lelouch was practically dying with anticipation. It was so hard waiting.

Suzaku exited the bathroom with a robe on and the little bag in hand. He then crawled up the bed until he was kneeling next to Lelouch looking quite sheepish if Lelouch had to give his opinion. “What’s in the bag Suzaku?” he asked suggestively and tried to reach for it.

Suzaku swatted his hand away. “No bad kitty. You don’t get to look. I’ll take stuff out when needed… So umm… I thought we could have a little fun tonight… “ Suzaku said awkwardly towards the end and then proceeded to pull out a can of ready whip.

Lelouch’s eyes shot open with surprise and he grabbed the can quickly from Suzaku. “Really!? You really mean it? I can lick cream off of you?” Lelouch asked excitedly practically bouncing to a kneeling position to match Suzaku.

Suzaku ducked his head and his already pink cheeks flamed darker spreading down his neck and up his ears. “Uh…yeah…”

“Fuck Suzaku… you are the fucking best” Lelouch said in a husky voice and ripped (accurate term with his claws) the robe off of Suzaku and pushed him down on the bed. He then ripped his own robe off and climbed on top of Suzaku straddling him. He licked his lips and then leaned down to give Suzaku a heated kiss.

Suzaku smiled against the assaulting lips and parted his own to let a frisky tongue into his mouth. He could feel Lelouch’s growing excitement press against his stomach. He also heard and felt the little moan escape from Lelouch. His slightly calloused fingers rubbed soothingly against the pale soft thighs that were straddling him.

While all this was happening Lelouch was shaking the can of whip cream. He then sat up and smiled wickedly as he popped the cap off. His first trail went across Suzaku’s collarbone area leading down his chest. He continued to grin as he descended onto the tan flesh. Suzaku squirmed at the ticklish feeling of Lelouch’s soft hot tongue and soft lips running across his skin cleaning the sticky sweet mess. This continued for a while and Suzaku continued to squirm and pant at the erotic feeling.

With Lelouch thoroughly distracted now currently licking whip cream from his navel down one of his hips, Suzaku dug into the bag for the remaining items... two little boxes. He shoved them under a pillow when he felt Lelouch shift and look at his with cloudy dark violet eyes.

“Open your mouth” Lelouch ordered slightly breathless. Suzaku gave him a questioning look, but did as he was told. Lelouch scooted back up his body and then proceeded to fill his mouth with whip cream. Thankfully he didn’t gag up the copious amount of creamy white licked. Lelouch moaned as he started to clean the mess with his tongue plunging into the hot sweet depths. The moans eventually turned to a low purr as he pillaged and tasted.

Suzaku was losing his fucking mind. It had been one thing when Lelouch was assaulting his body, but he had been able to focus on his overall objective… right now though… it was hard. Lelouch was purring into his mouth. He could feel the vibrations penetrating deep within him. It was hard not to get distracted by the grinding that Lelouch’s hips were doing… a groan tore from his throat and he buried his fingers into the silky black strands pulling Lelouch closer…

After a moment he collected himself… focus Kururugi he repeated over and over in his mind as he dug for the boxes again… One had a little bow to differentiate the two and that was the one he grabbed. He then proceeded to grab Lelouch’s hand and very carefully he slipped the ring onto it… Lelouch didn’t even notice as he was too busy purring and pillaging… Suzaku let out a breathless chuckle and slowly pulled his mouth away from assault… “I need to breathe idiot…” He mumbled as he pushed himself up to a sitting position.

Lelouch gave him a curious look and allowed him to sit up. He placed his hands on the muscled shoulders and licked the lingering cream flavor from his lips. “What now?” he asked as he wove one set off fingers into the curly brown hair.

“Now it’s my turn” Suzaku said suggestively as he rolled them over caging Lelouch in underneath of him. He bent down to give Lelouch a quick kiss and grabbed the whip cream can. He then proceeded to leave a trail from Lelouch’s chin all the way down to the thing that had been digging into him for the last 15 minutes. The thing that he took into his mouth and ran his tongue over. Again and again. Lelouch arched his back and moaned. After a couple of good licks, Suzauku followed the sticky sweet trail up his lover and sucked greedily at the delicate neck when he got there.

Lelouch squirmed under the ticklish feelings and rubbed his hips against Suzaku’s pleadingly… “Suzaku…enough… I can’t take it anymore… please take me… now” Lelouch gave a broken plea as Suzaku’s strong hands caressed every part of him.

Suzaku propped himself up and looked down at the flushed panting man with one of his dazzling smiles. Dimples included. He then reached into the bag again for the little bottle of lube. “Would you be a dear and suck my fingers?”

Lelouch smiled back before opening his mouth. Suzaku pressed his fingers into the hot wetness and his body twitched as Lelouch thoroughly sucked them. His violet eyes sparkling mischievously as they stared into clouded emerald.

Suzaku pressed a finger in and his eyes grew big in surprise when there was no resistance… he added another finger again with no issues. He gave a curious look to the man below him who was failing miserably to look innocent. “I may have prepared myself already for this evening… you can just take me.”

Suzaku groaned and buried his face into the crook of Lelouch’s neck. He then hurriedly coated himself and pressed into the already prepared location. In one smooth motion he was buried deep and Lelouch let out a little whine. Suzaku peppered his neck with kisses and caressed his thighs gently as legs wrapped around his back. Eventually the soft thighs gave him a little squeeze and Suzaku rolled his hips pulling out and then pushing back in slowly. With all the creamy foreplay, it didn’t take long before Lelouch was writhing in pleasure and moaning incoherent babble. Suzaku had pushed himself up and was supporting his weight with one hand pressed into the bed while the other one held the slim hips firmly. His angles were just right and Lelouch was squeezing him just right with his thighs…and other things…

“Suzaku…I- I’m…ugnh” Lelouch moaned as he released himself between their chests.

Suzaku followed a moment after with a manly grunt. After a moment he flopped down next to and at the same time on top of Lelouch panting heavily. Lelouch let out a thoroughly satisfied sigh and started to trace delicate patterns of the muscular back. They laid in silence for a while.

“Lelouch do you want to rinse off or should I just grab a rag?” Suzaku finally broke the silence.

“Tired…rag… water is evil anyways…” Lelouch mumbled.

“Ok” Suzaku gave him a peck on the cheek and then scurried to the bathroom. He himself hopped into the shower for a second and then got a washcloth.

When he came back into the bedroom, Lelouch was sitting up on the bed looking at his finger with wide violet eyes. He broke his intense eye contact with his finger and looked at Suzaku. “When? How? Really?” he fired off in rapid succession.

Suzaku chuckled and walked over to the bed. “Shh…wait just a second” he said with amusement and started to wipe of the smooth pale stomach. Lelouch let out a little hiss and his stomach muscles retracted from the wet intrusion.

He then tried to swat Suzaku’s hands away. “No. That can wait. Talk now. Is this what I think it is?”

“I’m not talking to you until you are clean” Suzaku said firmly and held Lelouch’s wrists with one hand. Once he was satisfied he threw the towel away and looked at the still awe struck man. “Yes it’s a wedding ring, so…uh… will you marry me?”

Lelouch’s face lit up with a giant smile. Teeth and all. He then pounced on Suzaku and wrapped his arms around the brunette’s neck. “Yes. Oh god yes. A millions times yes. I love you so much.”

Suzaku returned the hug and smiled into Lelouch’s shoulder. “I love you too.”

Lelouch pulled away after a couple of minutes. “Wait! Where’s your ring?”

Suzaku dug under the pillow for the remaining box. “Right here.” He then proceeded to put the ring on and Lelouch grabbed his hand eagerly studying it. He then placed his almost identical ring next to it and compared.

“Yours has a purple stone and mine has a green one…” Lelouch’s lips formed into a little pout in thought.

“Yeah… purple for your beautiful eyes and green for mine…” Suzaku responded and started blushing again. It had sounded like a good idea at the time. Now he just felt stupid.

“I love it” Lelouch whispered and then pulled him into a kiss. “I love you.” He kissed him again.

“Yeah… I want to be with you forever Lelouch… “

“Me too… I mean with you… “

“Sleep now?”

“Yeah…”

They were snuggled together under the covers. Lelouch purred contentedly and Suzaku stroked his fingers through the silky black strands. Despite the uncertainties of the future at least he knew one thing for sure. Lelouch was his and they would face it together.


End file.
